Ugandan military chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba said on Monday that his country “experienced numerous cyberattacks” after his public offer to assist Israel in its conflict with Iran.
Kainerugaba, who is the son of longtime Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, took to social media last week with a boisterous offer to join Uganda’s “brothers” in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) against Iran. According to Kainerugaba, an Ugandan brigade would be capable of capturing Tehran in less than two weeks.
“We want the war in the Middle East to end now. The world is tired of it. But any talk of destroying or defeating Israel will bring us into the war. On the side of Israel!” he exclaimed last Wednesday.
Kainerugaba’s posts on X included expressions of gratitude to Israel for standing by Uganda during difficult times, professions of admiration for the Israeli military, and reminiscences about the heroism of Israeli commandos during the famous raid against Palestinian terrorists at Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport in 1976. Kainerugaba seemed to enjoy verbally jousting with supporters of Iran and the Palestinians.
On Monday, Kainerugaba returned to social media to report acts of cyber-espionage against Uganda.
“After my tweets the other day in support of Israel, our country experienced numerous cyber attacks. We shall investigate all of them. We will take strong action against those who sent and supported those attacks,” he said.
Kainerugaba did not offer any details about the cyberattacks, such as the targets or the extent of the damage. He did, however, write a few more X posts in support of Israel:
Uganda certainly has some experience with cyberattacks, with a 60-percent surge in attacks reported last year as the country’s digital user base and financial sector experienced rapid growth. The country’s central bank was hacked in November 2024 by thieves who were able to electronically steal a sizable amount of money.
