$1 billion, bride or breakup: Ugandan general issues bizarre ultimatum to Türkiye

Ugandan army chief Muhuzi Kenerugaba has sparked a diplomatic row after he demanded $1 billion from Turkey and what he called the country’s “most beautiful woman” and threatened to sever ties if his conditions were not met.In a series of posts on Saturday, Kenerugaba said the payment should serve as a “security dividend” for Uganda’s military role in Somalia, where Ugandan troops are involved in the African Union’s mission against Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab. “Besides the $1 billion from Turkey, I want the most beautiful woman from that country as my wife!” he wrote in a now-deleted post that has since gone viral.He warned that failure to comply within 30 days could lead to a breakdown in diplomatic relations between Uganda and Turkey, including the closure of the Turkish embassy in Kampala and restrictions on Turkish airlines. “For Turkey, it’s a very simple deal…either they pay us or I close their embassy here. They can also close our embassy in Turkey in return. No problem,” he said, adding, “If Turkey does not solve our problems, we will sever our diplomatic relations within 30 days.”Kenerugaba also accused Ankara of benefiting from infrastructure and operating deals in Mogadishu, while Uganda has shouldered the security burden of fighting militants for nearly two decades. He described bilateral relations as “serious” and advised Ugandans to avoid traveling to Türkiye “for their own safety”.The general, who is the son of President Yoweri Museveni, also expressed support for Israel in the same series of posts, saying: “I am ready to deploy 100,000 Ugandan soldiers to Israel, under my command, to protect the Holy Land, the Land of our God Jesus Christ.”This is not the first time that Kainerugaba’s public comments have attracted attention. In 2022, he offered Italy 100 Ancole cattle in exchange for marrying Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, warning that he would capture Rome if the offer was rejected. The comments prompted President Museveni to apologize and criticize his son for meddling in other countries’ affairs.That same year, Kenerugaba also threatened military action against Kenya, comments that led to his temporary removal from office and a formal apology from the Ugandan government.There was no immediate response from Turkish or Somali authorities to the latest statement. Ugandan officials also did not clarify whether the comments reflected official policy or Kenerugaba’s personal views.