President Samia Suluhu has committed to support peace and security initiative by President Yoweri Museveni for the Great Lakes region, amidst security challenges in the region. This was revealed during the Ugandan president’s one-day working visit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Saturday, February 7, 2026.
After nearly two hours of private talks, the two presidents addressed the press and highlighted the main outcomes of their discussions. These included major infrastructure projects such as Tanzania’s request for Uganda to extend its Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to connect with Tanzania through Murongo, as well as efforts to lower trade barriers between the two nations. Other topics discussed included the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project, which has been main point of focus for the two nations for the past five years.
The two leaders also emphasized the importance of ensuring regional security, with President Samia committing Tanzania’s support to President Museveni’s security initiative for the Great Lakes region.
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“His Excellency President Museveni, as an elder of the region and currently the Chairperson of the Great Lakes countries, and as you know, security in the Great Lakes region is not very good,” President Samia said during the press briefing.
She continued: “He has a strategy to begin dialogue aimed at bringing peace and security to the Great Lakes region. We in Tanzania have told him that we support him and that we are ready to assist him in whatever way he considers appropriate in this matter.”
Speaking to the press, President Museveni said they had discussed Africa’s defense but noted that he would elaborate further on the matter at another time.
Global Threats
The issue of joint defense in East Africa has been a central theme of President Museveni’s campaign during Uganda’s election season. He continues to promote political federation in his seven-point manifesto, warning that Africa is in crisis for allowing other continents to advance far ahead technologically.
“Economic integration is for prosperity, but that does not solve the problem of security; you can be rich but vulnerable. So that is why we say no, we need to go beyond economic integration and go for political integration. The Federation of East Africa will bring together our countries here, and we will be a very strong force militarily,” Museveni said while addressing the press on November 20, 2025, at Mayuge State.
“Even if we are together in the East African community, we don’t plan defence together. We find Kenya has got their own defense, Uganda has, Tanzania has [its own defense plans],” he continued.
READ: Uganda’s Election Shows Why Democracy Is Losing Its Meaning in Africa
During his visit to Tanzania, President Museveni highlighted the rising global threat and warned fellow African political class against repeating the mistakes of traditional chiefs during the colonial period.
“The political class should be very careful in Africa, not to be like the traditional chiefs,” Museveni warned. He expanded his argument by explaining how European struggles drove them to seek new routes and opportunities abroad, eventually leading to demise of former Chiefs.
“In 1498, Vasco Da Gama passed here on his way to India, then news began to arrive that new people had come here, powerful people. He [Vasco Da Gama] attacked Mombasa, along that route, so you can see from 1498 to 1862. That’s when Speke Hannington came to our area,” Museveni continued.
“All this time, our Chiefs were getting information that powerful people are coming, they are coming, they are coming, but they did not unite to create strength,” he argued.
Museveni’s remarks come amid criticism in both countries. Tanzania has been under global scrutiny following killings of civillians during election protest, with estimates placing the number in the thousands, while the government has declined to release official death statistics.
In Uganda, President Museveni and his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba who is the Chief of Defence Force have faced criticism over the wave abductions and disapperances. The recent mistreatment of an opposition leader’s wife intensified the criticism, after Museveni’s son released an image showing her seated down in distress inside her house. The recent manhandling of the opposition leader’s wife in Uganda has drawn comparisons to the era of Idi Amin.
Museveni has maintained a tough stance on his crtics including criticizing the practice of granting bail to his political critics. “Anybody who disturbs our peace, we shall just pick them, and that is the end of the story. And we are very strict with our lawyers, we no longer want this game. Somebody has done bad things and is given bail; it is becoming like a game,” Museveni argued on November 08, 2026, during press address.
In his address while in Dar es Salaa, Museveni warned of emerging threats from the powerful against the weak, and call for urgent solidarity among political class.
“After independence we need to move to strengthen Africa not to repeat those problems [of traditional chiefs] because you can see, I can see some threats already coming up. You can see the arrogance, as if people who don’t have strength don’t matter. We should not repeat those mistakes,” he emphasized.
