Defenceweb
Uganda has entered a military cooperation agreement with a country that it shares no border with — the Central African Republic.
Ugandan Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs Vincent Ssempijja was reported by the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces as saying a memorandum of understanding has reiterated his country’s commitment to a Central African Republic military partnership.
“Uganda has always been committed to promoting peace and stability in the region, and we strongly believe the best way to achieve this is through cooperation and collaboration with our neighbors,” he said after the signing in Kampala. “Our defense partnership with CAR is a testament to this commitment, and we will continue to work together to ensure our region remains peaceful and prosperous.”
Ssempijja commended the “unconditional support” from the CAR government during 2023’s repatriation of former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) combatants from the Zemio and Mboki camps. Uganda’s Joint Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Leopold Kyanda, referred to cooperation with the landlocked country as part of an African Union regional task force that was “crucial in degrading the LRA whose remnants have since renounced the rebellion.”
CAR National Defence and Army Reconstruction Minister Claude Bireau thanked Uganda for its contribution during the “peak of LRA activities in CAR.”
Bireau said the fact that Uganda emerged from civil war to develop a professional armed forces offers a model to the CAR.
“We want to benchmark the professionalism and the good attributes of the Ugandan Army. Because it came from the same crisis, we think it is now a role model,” Bireau said.
Ssempijja said Uganda’s history makes it eager to help nations in crisis. “We know what it is when your brother is in need; we have been in that kind of situation for a long time, and we know what little we have can be shared,” he said. “That’s why you see we have 1.5 million refugees … we are not rich, but we cannot just laugh when our brothers and sisters are suffering.”
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