In a bold declaration on Wednesday, Uganda’s military leader expressed his nation’s readiness to ally with Israel in the event of conflict. General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, head of the Uganda People’s Defence Force and son of President Yoweri Museveni, took to Twitter to articulate his stance.
“The world is weary of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and it must come to an end. However, any threat to annihilate or defeat Israel will prompt us to join the fray—on Israel’s side!” Kainerugaba tweeted. The post quickly gained traction, amassing over 1.3 million interactions by Thursday morning.
Further explaining his position a day later, Kainerugaba tweeted, “We support Israel because of our Christian faith, redeemed by Jesus Christ, the Holy Son of God, the sole forgiver of sins. As the Bible says, ‘Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword.’ (Deuteronomy 33:29).”
In another tweet, he reflected on Uganda’s past relations with Israel, stating, “Israel was there for us when we were struggling in the 1980s and 1990s. Why shouldn’t we defend her now, with our GDP standing at $100 billion, one of the largest in Africa?”
In a separate tweet, he said, “Israel stood with us when we were nobodys in the 1980s and 1990s. Why wouldn’t we defend her now that our GDP is $100 billion? One of the largest in Africa.”
Last month, Kainerugaba revealed that his country was planning to erect a statue of IDF Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, the older brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was killed in action in Uganda during a counter-terrorism operation that rescued more than 100 hostages on July 4, 1976.
The statue is expected to be erected at Entebbe Airport, where Yonatan Netanyahu fell in battle, according to Kainerugaba.
On Thursday morning, the general posted a “sneak peek” image of the statue “soon” to be unveiled.
