The Ambassador of Sweden to Uganda, Maria Hakansson, paid a courtesy call on the Minister of State for Regional Affairs, John Mulimba, following Sweden’s assumption of the chairmanship of the International Contact Group for the Great Lakes (ICG) for a six-month term beginning January 2026.
Ambassador Hakansson, representing Sweden in its new role as chair of the group, said there was renewed interest in Stockholm regarding the security situation in the Great Lakes region, with a focus on strengthening humanitarian support and regional stability efforts.
Uganda welcomes Sweden’s leadership
Mulimba congratulated Sweden on assuming the chairmanship and commended its longstanding role in promoting peace and security across the Great Lakes and the wider African continent.
He reaffirmed Uganda’s position as a key player in regional integration and collective peace initiatives, stressing the importance of aligning regional mechanisms with international peace efforts, including the Doha and Washington processes.
The minister referenced Uganda’s hosting of the 12th High-Level Regional Oversight Mechanism (ROM) Summit at State House Entebbe in December 2025, describing it as a demonstration of the country’s commitment to peace, security and cooperation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the broader Great Lakes region.
Mulimba cautioned against unilateral decisions by states, warning that such actions risk escalating tensions.
“What we are seeing today is a result of states taking unilateral decisions,” he said, underscoring the need for regional backing and coordinated approaches to contentious issues.
Somalia drawdown and Operation Shujaa
On the United Nations’ recommendation for a drawdown of troops in Somalia, Mulimba emphasized the importance of a needs-based approach and called for “greater realism” by the international community in diagnosing the root causes of regional instability.
He added that the duration of Operation Shujaa — Uganda’s joint military operation against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in eastern DRC — would similarly be determined based on evolving security needs.
Both parties underscored the importance of sustained dialogue, multilateral cooperation and harmonized peace initiatives to prevent further instability in the region.
