Uganda is hosting a delegation from Mozambique for a week-long bilateral engagement aimed at strengthening cooperation in combatant and veterans’ affairs, agriculture and development.
The engagement, being held in Kampala under the theme “Advancing Uganda-Mozambique Cooperation in Combatant/Veteran Affairs and Development Space,” seeks to build on the historical ties between the two countries that were forged during their respective liberation struggles.
Welcoming the Mozambican delegation, General (Rtd) Ivan Koreta said Uganda and Mozambique share a relationship built on sacrifice, solidarity and a common history of liberation.
Gen. Koreta recalled that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni established contact with leaders of Mozambique’s liberation struggle while studying at the University of Dar es Salaam. Following Mozambique’s independence, the country provided a training facility for Ugandan liberation fighters in 1976.
Koreta, who was among the Ugandan fighters trained in Mozambique, described the support as a defining moment in the relationship between the two countries and an important example of military diplomacy.
He said President Museveni had tasked him and Brig. Gen. (Rtd) John Boaco Omure with supporting the implementation of commitments made during the President’s 2018 state visit to Mozambique.
The commitments include refurbishing accommodation facilities at the former training barracks, improving a technical institute in Montepuez, Cabo Delgado Province, and establishing agricultural and agro-processing projects for FRELIMO veterans.
Horacio Massangaie, an adviser to Mozambique’s Minister of Veterans Affairs, said the delegation was in Uganda to advance programmes arising from the longstanding cooperation between the two countries.
He noted that Uganda and Mozambique already have a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in veterans’ affairs and are now working to translate the agreement into specific programmes, particularly in agriculture and agribusiness.
Massangaie highlighted Uganda’s expertise in agriculture and agribusiness as an area that could provide opportunities for deeper cooperation and benefit veterans in both countries.
Uganda’s High Commissioner to Mozambique, Ambassador Colonel (Rtd) Fred Mwesigye, said the renewed partnership offers an opportunity to preserve the shared history of the two nations while turning their historical ties into practical development programmes.
He added that Uganda will continue supporting training programmes in Mozambique, including the training of combatants and wildlife rangers.
The week-long engagement is expected to conclude with the signing of cooperation documents, further strengthening the bilateral relationship between Uganda and Mozambique and building on the historical solidarity that linked the two countries during their liberation struggles.
