Somalia President Defends Uganda's Military Role After Gen. Muhoozi Questions Turkey's Expanding Security Footprint

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud issued a public statement on April 12, 2026, defending Uganda's military role in Somalia following public remarks by Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces General Muhoozi Kainerugaba questioning Turkey's expanding security presence in the country. Mohamud acknowledged Uganda's significant and largely self-financed military commitment to Somalia — noting that Kampala deploys forces independently of the formal AU mandate, finances its own operational costs, and has absorbed uncompensated losses of expensive military hardware fighting Al-Shabaab. Uganda was the first country to deploy under AMISOM in March 2007 and remains the largest AUSSOM contingent contributor (approximately 6,000 personnel in Sector 1, Mogadishu). General Muhoozi's criticism of Turkey's security presence — apparently referencing Ankara's growing bilateral footprint including the Camp Turksom military training complex (which trains ~1,500 SNA soldiers simultaneously), the 2024 10-year maritime defense agreement, and the newly launched offshore oil exploration deal with TPAO — reflects a broader competition for influence in Mogadishu. Diplomatic observers view Mohamud's balancing statement as an effort to manage both partnerships simultaneously: Uganda provides indispensable frontline military manpower against Al-Shabaab, while Turkey provides strategic training, logistics, port and airport management, and now energy exploration. The Uganda-Turkey dynamic forms one dimension of a more complex geopolitical competition in the Horn of Africa, with Turkey and Qatar broadly aligned with the FGS while UAE and Saudi Arabia historically back sub-national entities (Puntland, Somaliland via DP World Berbera). Mohamud's statement comes two days before the April 14 parliamentary mandate deadline and with the FGS-opposition constitutional crisis still unresolved.