Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI:Uganda’s parliament on August 6 voted to approve the deployment of its military to the Gaza Strip, if it was needed as part of a multinational security force proposed under U.S. President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan for the enclave.
Before the vote, Ugandan Defence Minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka told lawmakers that Trump had, through emissaries, contacted Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni in July seeking Kampala’s contribution to the international force. Under the plan, an International Stabilization Force is envisioned deploying in areas that are not under Israeli control. It is unclear when any such force will deploy.
Uganda has a history of participating in international peacekeeping and enforcement efforts and currently has contingents deployed in several countries including Somalia, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo. “Following the invitation by His Excellency Donald Trump … the President of the Republic of Uganda, is ready to deploy in the Gaza Strip the desired Uganda People’s Defense Forces contingent,” Kiwanuka told lawmakers.
During the debate, some lawmakers asked about the legal arrangement that would govern the deployment. Kiwanuka said a status of forces agreement would be signed after the vote. Much of Gaza remains in ruins from two years of full-scale war triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
