Oil & Gas

Uganda has deployed over 15,000 troops across the Great Lakes Region and beyond, raising concerns about the missions’ funding, objectives, and benefits. Officially, Kampala says the deployments are to support regional stability and fight terrorism, but security experts argue Uganda is also using its “military machismo” to protect $20 billion worth of oil infrastructure and secure trade routes vital for its growing economy.

The operations come at a steep cost. Ugandan taxpayers are paying an estimated $0.5–$1 million per day for troop reimbursements and allowances in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in addition to millions spent on military hardware. At the same time, helicopters returning body bags from war zones highlight the human toll, with at least 39 soldiers lost in Somalia since June and others killed in South Sudan and eastern Congo.

Despite these costs, the scale of Uganda’s deployments is unmatched on the continent. Uganda tops the list of African nations with the largest number of troops abroad, including 4,000 in South Sudan, 4,500 in Somalia, 6,000 in DRC, and 700 in Equatorial Guinea. Opposition lawmakers allege that much of the expenditure is hidden in classified budgets, which rose by Ush3 trillion ($846.8 million) last year, fueling claims of corruption and unregulated defence spending.

Analysts argue that Uganda’s foreign missions are driven by long-term security and economic interests rather than short-term profits, especially in mineral-rich eastern Congo and in protecting the Lake Albert oilfields. Any attack on oil projects by militias could trigger force majeure and derail Uganda’s expected $1.5–$2 billion in annual oil revenues from 2026 onwards. This makes the deployments as much about economics as security, even as taxpayers question the rising human and financial costs.