KAMPALA - Uganda's parliament on Thursday passed a motion permitting the Uganda People's Defence Forces to be deployed to the Gaza Strip if required as part of a multinational security contingent described in a ceasefire plan put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Defence Minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka informed lawmakers that Trump, through emissaries, reached out to President Yoweri Museveni in July to request Uganda's participation in the proposed international force. An Israeli official had indicated last month that personnel from "friendly countries" including Uganda could form part of such a force if it were to be established.
Thursday's parliamentary debate marked the first public acknowledgment from Uganda that it might take part in operations in Gaza. Kiwanuka told members of parliament: "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."
During the discussion, some legislators queried the legal framework that would govern any deployment. Kiwanuka said that a status of forces agreement - often abbreviated as SOFA - would be signed following the parliamentary approval.
The proposed U.S. plan, set out after a fragile ceasefire deal struck in October, envisages several elements for Gaza: a surge of humanitarian assistance, civilian administration by a group of Palestinian technocrats called the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, the laying down of arms by Hamas and a withdrawal of Israeli forces. The plan has not advanced, and the technocrat-led committee has remained outside Gaza.
Within that framework, an International Stabilization Force is conceived to operate in areas not under Israeli control. The timing for the creation or deployment of such a force remains unclear.
Uganda has a record of contributing to international peacekeeping and enforcement missions, and currently deploys contingents to Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Much of Gaza remains extensively damaged after two years of full-scale war that was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.