CDF Gen Kainerugaba Says UPDF Ready to Deploy if Ethiopia Requests Assistance

Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has said the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) is ready to support Ethiopia if the Ethiopian leadership formally requests military assistance amid renewed conflict in the country’s north.

“We are determined to support our Ethiopian brothers in this latest conflict. If the Ethiopian leadership requests our assistance we will deploy the invincible UPDF,” Gen Muhoozi said on X.

The statement signals a readiness by Uganda’s military leadership to provide support to Ethiopia as security tensions persist in the northern part of the country.

Gen Muhoozi has previously called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urged all parties to respect the Pretoria Peace Agreement, which ended the Tigray war in 2022.

He has also expressed UPDF support for the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF), stressing that Ethiopia’s unity and sovereignty should be respected and protected.

The remarks come days after Ethiopian Ambassador to Uganda Etsegenet Bezabih Yimenu met Gen Muhoozi at the Special Forces Command headquarters in Entebbe, where the two discussed the security situation in northern Ethiopia as well as military exchanges and training programmes between Uganda and Ethiopia.

Ambassador Yimenu subsequently thanked Gen Muhoozi for his support for the ENDF and Ethiopia’s unity and sovereignty, while reaffirming Addis Ababa’s commitment to the Pretoria peace agreement.

The latest statement further highlights the close security relationship between Uganda and Ethiopia, with the two countries maintaining military exchanges and training cooperation.