General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, commander of the Ugandan army, demanded two things from Turkey. The first demand was $1 billion for Uganda's long-standing military involvement in fighting Islamic militants in Somalia. The second, probably jocular, was to hand over "the most beautiful woman in this country," whom, according to Kainerugaba, he would like to see as his wife, UNN reports with reference to India Today.
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Media outlets note that although Kainerugaba's demand sparked a negative reaction, this is not the first time he has made such strange and sexist demands. In 2022, Kainerugaba offered Italy 100 cows in exchange for marrying Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Now, years later, Kainerugaba has demanded that the most beautiful Turkish woman become his wife.
If Ankara does not meet the demands within 30 days, Kainerugaba threatened serious diplomatic consequences, including the closure of the Turkish embassy in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.
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The head of the Ugandan army, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, is the son of the country's president, Yoweri Museveni.
In a series of posts on X on Saturday, April 11, Ugandan Chief of Defense Forces Kainerugaba accused Turkey of profiting from infrastructure deals in Somalia, as well as from the operation of ports and airports in the country's capital, Mogadishu, while Uganda has borne the heavy burden of providing security from the Islamist terrorist group Al-Shabaab for nearly two decades as part of African Union missions.
He demanded $1 billion from Turkey as "security dividends," adding a personal marriage demand to it.
"In addition to $1 billion from Turkey, I want the most beautiful woman in this country as my wife!" one of Kainerugaba's posts on X read.
Failure to comply with this demand, Kainerugaba warned, would result in Kampala banning Turkish Airlines from flying in its airspace and severing all diplomatic relations with Ankara. "For Turkey, this is a very simple deal... Either they pay us, or I close their embassy here. They can reciprocate and close our embassy in Turkey. No problem," he wrote on X.
"If Turkey does not resolve our issues, we will sever our diplomatic relations within 30 days," he warned.
Kainerugaba described Uganda's relations with Turkey as "serious," adding: "Forget about Twitter games. We will sever diplomatic relations with them very soon. Who needs a friend who constantly betrays you?
He also advised all Ugandans to "avoid any travel to Turkey. For your own safety."
Alongside angry criticism of Ankara for betraying Kampala, Kainerugaba took the opportunity to declare support for Israel, saying: "I am ready to send 100,000 Ugandan soldiers to Israel under my command to defend the Holy Land – the land of Jesus Christ, our God."