The announcement came a day after supporters of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) marched to the Turkish Embassy in Kampala, demanding that Türkiye hand over Ugandan social media activist and government critic Fred Kajubi Lumbuye to face charges in Uganda.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has suspended all defence and military cooperation with Türkiye, citing unresolved issues between the two countries.
The suspension took immediate effect on Saturday, September 19, 2026, and will remain in force until the outstanding issues concerning mutual defence and military cooperation are resolved.
In a brief statement, Col Chris Magezi, the Acting Director of Defence Public Information at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs/UPDF, said the decision covers “all and any Defence and Military cooperation” between Uganda and Türkiye.
The UPDF, however, did not specify the nature of the outstanding issues or indicate when the cooperation could resume.
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The announcement came a day after supporters of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) marched to the Turkish Embassy in Kampala, demanding that Türkiye hand over Ugandan social media activist and government critic Fred Kajubi Lumbuye to face charges in Uganda.
The Friday demonstration, led by PLU Secretary General Fadil Twalla, followed a directive by PLU chairman and Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
The protesters also opposed reports that Lumbuye’s lawyers had applied for asylum in Türkiye, arguing that he should return to Uganda to face the justice system.
Ugandan authorities and PLU supporters have accused Lumbuye of offences including cybercrime, incitement and harmful propaganda. His legal status in Türkiye has, however, remained unclear.
The Turkish Embassy in Kampala had announced its closure on Friday ahead of the planned demonstration. When the protesters reached the diplomatic mission, they were advised to pursue their concerns through diplomatic channels.
The UPDF statement did not mention Lumbuye or directly link his case to the suspension of military cooperation.
Uganda and Türkiye have maintained bilateral relations in several areas, including defence, trade, investment, education and infrastructure. The latest announcement specifically concerns defence and military cooperation and does not indicate a suspension of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The suspension could affect existing military-to-military engagements between the two countries, although the UPDF has not yet clarified whether particular training programmes, defence agreements, procurement arrangements or other ongoing activities have been halted.