The meeting between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, is being closely watched in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where both Rwanda and Uganda remain key regional actors amid continuing security challenges in the east.
General Muhoozi arrived in Kigali for a working visit during which he met senior Rwanda Defence Force commanders before holding talks with President Kagame.
According to the Rwandan Presidency, the discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation between Rwanda and Uganda as well as promoting peace, security and stability in the Great Lakes region.
Although neither side disclosed details of specific security matters, the meeting comes at a time when eastern DRC remains at the center of regional diplomatic and military attention.
Uganda is already a major military actor inside eastern Congo through Operation Shujaa, a joint military campaign launched in November 2021 by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) to combat the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group affiliated with the Islamic State.
The operation has expanded over the past five years, with joint forces continuing operations in North Kivu and Ituri provinces against ADF positions.
Recent offensives have resulted in the rescue of more than 200 civilians from ADF captivity and the recovery of weapons and explosives, according to the UPDF.
In addition to Operation Shujaa, Uganda has increased its military footprint in eastern DRC.
A recent United Nations Group of Experts report states that Uganda deployed thousands of additional troops during 2025, extending its presence beyond the original Operation Shujaa operational areas into parts of Lubero, Bunia, Mahagi and Djugu.
The report estimates that the UPDF now has more than 6,000 personnel deployed in the DRC, roughly double its previous presence, although Uganda maintains that its deployment is aimed at combating the ADF and protecting strategic infrastructure, including the Kasindi-Beni-Butembo road.
The expanded deployment has generated debate within the DRC.
While Congolese and Ugandan forces continue to conduct joint operations against the ADF, some Congolese political figures and civil society groups have questioned the growing presence of foreign troops, reflecting broader concerns over sovereignty and the role of neighboring countries in eastern Congo’s security landscape.
The United Nations has noted that some of the additional deployments initially took place outside the original framework of Operation Shujaa before being regularized through discussions between Kinshasa and Kampala.
Against this backdrop, the Kagame-Muhoozi meeting is viewed as another indication of increasingly close relations between Kigali and Kampala.
Relations between Rwanda and Uganda have steadily improved since the reopening of the Gatuna-Katuna border in 2022, with both countries expanding cooperation in security, trade and regional diplomacy.
For the DRC, closer coordination between Rwanda and Uganda carries regional significance. Both countries share long borders with eastern Congo and remain influential players in efforts to address armed group activity and wider security challenges in the Great Lakes region.
As diplomatic initiatives continue alongside military operations, developments in relations between Kigali and Kampala are likely to remain closely followed in Kinshasa and across eastern DRC.