Uganda and the Kingdom of Belgium have committed to strengthening their bilateral defence cooperation to support regional peace and security initiatives across Africa.
The Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, hosted the Belgian Ambassador to Uganda, His Excellency Hugues Chantry, for bilateral security talks at the Joint Defence Headquarters in Mbuya.
The high-level diplomatic meeting focused on bilateral defence relations, regional stability, and Uganda’s ongoing peacekeeping missions.
Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka highlighted the necessity of tackling the root drivers of regional conflict through a balance of military interventions, socio-economic transformation, and political will.
He reaffirmed Uganda's commitment to continental peace missions, emphasizing that regional stability directly safeguards national interests.
Hon. Kiwanuka urged the Belgian government to sustain vital financial and logistical backing for the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) to protect recent security gains.
Ambassador Hugues Chantry commended Uganda for its active role in stabilizing the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia, as well as its emergency public health interventions during regional disease outbreaks.
The ambassador reaffirmed Belgium's continued support for Uganda’s regional peace efforts.
Ambassador Chantry was accompanied by outgoing Defence Attaché Col Michel Recour, incoming Defence Attaché Col Wendy Janssens, and 2Lt Eva de Gelder from Brussels.
Senior Ugandan officials attending the meeting included MODVA Under Secretary of Finance and Administration Mrs. Edith Buturo, Chief of Joint Staff Lt Gen Jack Bakasumba, MODVA Director of Legal Affairs Maj Gen Aloysious Asingura Kagoro, and JS TRADOC representative Col Michael Katongole Ssempijja.
