Maj. Gen. James Birungi, the Chief of Military Intelligence (CMI), has emphasised the significance of regional collaboration in addressing matters of shared security concern and countering the challenges posed by terrorism, drugs, human trafficking, and money laundering, among others.
This was stated in the speech made on his behalf by Brig. Gen. Dominic Twesigomwe, Commandant of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, at the Defence Intelligence Exchange Meeting between the Military Intelligence of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Defence Intelligence of the South African National Defence Forces (SANDF), which took place on September 11, 2023, at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs Headquarters in Mbuya.
“Addressing the above threats requires concerted bilateral and regional efforts. This meeting is one of such efforts at sharing and exchanging intelligence and proposing ways of jointly dealing with these threats,” said Maj. Gen. Birungi.
Maj. Gen. Birungi underscored Uganda’s contribution towards regional stabilisation efforts in the East African Community Regional Force in the DRC and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), among others.
Colonel Otsile Benedict Segami, who led the SANDF Intelligence delegation, said that the meeting comes at the backdrop of positive global developments from the Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) Summit that was held in South Africa and the Uganda-South Africa Trade and Investment Summit that was held in Kampala.
“This is a good stepping stone not only for the business domain but also boils down to us as a security cluster fostering relations between the two governments,” Col. Segami said.
Col. Segami emphasized the importance of the meeting is to deliberate on shared interests in enhancing regional and continental defence and security.
“The importance of this meeting is to deliberate on shared interests in enhancing regional and continental defence and security. We must continue to engage one another so that we find amicable solutions to the problems affecting not only our countries but also the security of the continent,” Col. Segami added.
The meeting was attended by the Defence Attaché of South Africa to Uganda, Colonel Xolayi Petelo Mbekeni, as well as Directors and Staff Officers from the UPDF and SANDF.
