Gen Muhoozi Meets Kagame in Kigali

Kigali – Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, arrived in Rwanda on Sunday for a high-profile meeting with President Paul Kagame.

Muhoozi earlier this week disclosed plans to sign a Defence Pact between Uganda and Rwanda.

Muhoozi, a close ally of Kagame, made the announcement ahead of his trip on social media platform X, where he declared that Uganda and Rwanda will stand together against any threats.

“When I’m in Kigali, I will also sign a Defence Pact between Uganda and Rwanda,” said Muhoozi.

“Anyone who attacks any of our countries will have declared war on both countries,” he added, before departing for Kigali.

Muhoozi’s visit follows a series of high-level security meetings between Uganda and Rwanda, including a recent cross-border security meeting held in Mbarara, Uganda, on February 27, 2025, where representatives from both nations discussed efforts to strengthen security cooperation and ease movement of goods and people between the two countries.

The Mbarara security meeting played a pivotal role in shaping the ongoing military collaboration between Uganda and Rwanda.

Attended by Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Robert Rusoke, Uganda’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, and Ambassador Vincent Karega, Rwanda’s Envoy to the Great Lakes Region, the meeting addressed cross-border security, immigration, trade, customs, and border demarcation issues.

Muhoozi’s visit also comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Great Lakes region, particularly in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have seized key territories, prompting international condemnation.

Ties

The Uganda-Rwanda Defence Pact, once formalized, is expected to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries, which have had a complicated history of rivalry and alliances in the region.

Muhoozi’s declaration that “anyone who attacks any of our countries will have declared war on both countries” signals a significant shift in regional military alliances, especially amid Western pressure on Rwanda to withdraw its troops from DRC territory.

While Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has refrained from publicly aligning with Rwanda in the ongoing DRC conflict, Muhoozi—who has increasingly taken on an independent political and military role—has openly supported Kagame’s leadership and hinted at a more interventionist approach in regional affairs.

Uganda, which has military operations in eastern DRC under the pretext of fighting the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels, has not officially joined the fray involving M23 rebels.