Egypt opens defence office in Uganda

By Aisha Naiga and Raymond Baguma   

The Egyptian Armed Forces have opened a Defence office in Kampala. It has been inaugurated at a function attended by military officers from Uganda and Egypt.

In attendance was Major General, Gamel Hammad who led the delegation of Egyptian military officers.
Also present were defence attachés accredited to foreign missions in Uganda.

The Chief of military intelligence of the UPDF, Brigadier Charles Bakahumura said, “It is a landmark in strengthening ties with Uganda on defence cooperation through defence, training and technical cooperation, and coordination in combatting terrorism in the East African region. We assure you of our highest consideration in military-to-military relations.”

According to online sources, the Egyptian Armed Forces is the largest army in both Africa and the Middle East with an estimated strength of 468,500 personnel and over 1 million reservists.  Uganda  has a total strength of between 40,000 to 45,000 personnel, according to the UK-based International Institute of Strategic Studies.

Ahmed Abdel Aziz, the Egyptian ambassador to Uganda said opening the Defence office would not only consolidate military ties with Uganda, but contribute to establishing peace and security in the region as well as Africa.

Col. Ahmed Fahmy, the Defence attaché to Uganda said that progress had been made towards the military cooperation between Egypt and Uganda, evident in different aspects such as training as well as high level official visits.

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