'Want To Marry Your Country's Most Beautiful Woman': Uganda Army Chief's Crazy Demand From Turkey

New Delhi: In a bizzare sexist demand, especially coming from a top state general, the army chief of Uganda, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has demanded “the most beautiful woman” in Turkey, whom he said he would marry. In addition to this, Kainerugaba has also demanded $1 billion for Uganda's military contributions in Somalia in combating Islamic militants.

Remarkably, this is not the first time Kainerugaba has made such a blatant demand. Back in 2022, he expressed his desire to marry Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in exchange for 100 cows to her country.

Cut to 2026, Kainerugaba has threatened severe diplomatic consequences for Turkey, including the closure of the country's embassy in its capital Kampala, if its leadeship fails to abide by his demands within 30 days. 

In a series of posts on X, Kainerugaba, Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces has accused Turkey of extracting profits from cutting infrastructure deals in Somalia. This was while  Uganda, he claimed, bore the burden of Al-Qaeda affiliate and Islamist terror group Al-Shabab in the country, for around two decades.

"On top of the $1 billion from Turkey, I want the most beautiful woman in that country for a wife!" one of Kainerugaba's posts on X read.

"For Turkey it's a really simple deal... Either they pay us or I close their embassy here. They can reciprocate and shut our embassy in Turkey as well. No problem," he wrote on X.

"If Turkey does not address our problems, we will sever our diplomatic relations within 30 days," he warned.

Describing his threats to be serious in nature, he said, "Forget Twitter games. We will close diplomatic relations with them very soon. Who needs a friend who keeps stabbing you in the back."

Online Backlash

Kainerugaba's post has received criticsm online from several quarters with some saying that it is just a headline grabbing social media stunt.

One of them said, "While the world is busy competing for oil and strategic power, this man "Uganda Army Chief" seems consumed by personal lust."

History of Outrageous Demands

This is not the first time Kainerugaba has made bizzare and outspoken posts on regional security. In October 2022, he had offered 100 Ankole cows, describing them as "the most beautiful cows on earth" in exchange for Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's hand in marriage.

"If the Romans reject our cows, that means we must capture Rome. That would take us days to do," Kainerugaba had said.

Kainerugaba's father and Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, had then issued an apology for such remarks and even criticised him for interfering "in the internal affairs of brother countries".

Earlier, Muhoozi, who is laregely seen as a successor to his father, had issued a public threat to Kenya in 2022. "It wouldn't take us, my army and me, two weeks to capture Nairobi," he said. The fallout led to his father to sack him temporarily from his position and issue an apology to Kenya.

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