President Museveni has revealed that Uganda turned down proposals by the United States and the United Kingdom to establish a military presence in the country, insisting that Uganda is capable of defending itself without hosting foreign bases.
Speaking about past engagements with Western governments, Museveni said that both the Americans and the British offered to help build Uganda’s army. However, he told them the country had already demonstrated its military capability.
“We are very confident. That is why for instance the Americans came here and the British, and they said we want to help you build your army. We said but we have already built the army. That is how we defeated the [previous] government. We don’t want to be over involved with you people, we can share some experience; that is all,” Museveni said at a recent function at State House Entebbe.
The President stressed that Uganda deliberately chose not to host foreign military bases, arguing that national sovereignty and self-reliance remain central to his National Resistance Movement government agenda.
“That is why we don’t have foreign bases here in Uganda because we didn’t need them. Foreign armies for what? We can defend ourselves, we don’t need anything from anybody,” he said.
Museveni linked instability in some African countries to what he described as excessive foreign military involvement.
Citing examples from West Africa such as Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and the Central African Republic, the President argued that external interference can complicate internal security dynamics.
“When you hear about these African countries getting problems; Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Central African Republic, they get problems because of that over involvement with foreigners,” he said.
A key sticking point, Museveni disclosed, was the proposed Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), a legal framework that governs how foreign troops are treated while stationed in a host country.
“There is what they call SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement). If foreign forces are in Uganda, how should they be handled? The Americans and the British brought their SOFA to me and said, when our forces are here, if they make a mistake, they should not be tried here. They should be tried in the U.S. Then I said, can we make it reciprocal so that if our people are in the U.S and they make a mistake, they are brought back here. They (Americans and British) said no,” Museveni recounted.
He said he attempted to find middle ground but drew a firm line when it came to serious crimes committed on Ugandan soil.
Compromise
“One time I was trying to compromise with them. I said, if somebody fights in the bar, I don’t mind. You can take him and try him in California. But what if he kills a Ugandan or rapes a Ugandan girl, there is no way you can take him and try him somewhere else. They said other countries are doing it. I said if other countries are doing it, that’s their business,” he said.
Museveni maintained that he has consistently refused to sign any Status of Forces Agreement that would limit Uganda’s jurisdiction over foreign troops.
“I have never signed any single SOFA with anybody in all the time I have been here,” he said.
Uganda has, over the years, cooperated with global powers in areas such as training, intelligence sharing and joint operations, particularly in regional security missions especially in Somalia.
However, the President’s remarks reaffirm his position that such cooperation should not compromise national sovereignty.
