Beyond the I'm: Africa's defence chiefs meet in Kampala ‎

African generals usually meet to discuss how to fight. This week, in Uganda, they met to discuss how to rescue, restore and protect. The four-day inaugural African Chiefs of Defence Forces Conference on Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) ran from 5 to 8 October at Speke Resort Munyonyo, organised by Uganda's Ministry of Defence and the UPDF.Organisers described it as the first gathering focused on MOOTW at the level of African defence chiefs.

What "other than war" means
The term covers peace support operations, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, counter-terrorism, protection of critical infrastructure and support to civil authorities during major emergencies.

That is a large part of what African soldiers actually do. The UPDF's chief of joint staff, Lt Gen Jack Bakasumba, told delegates that terrorism, organised crime, cyber warfare, public health emergencies and climate-related crises now require militaries to adapt.He wanted the conference to produce practical mechanisms, including better information sharing, joint communications and rapidly deployable capabilities.

Who came, and what was on the table
Participants came from more than 18 countries across all regions of Africa, along with regional bodies such as IGAD and the North African Regional Capability.Uganda's earlier announcements had spoken of 14 countries, so the number grew.

The agenda ranged from cyber security and artificial intelligence to drones, maritime and border security, disease pandemics, climate change, external influence and legal and ethical accountability.Uganda's brief sought an African Union-led regional framework covering common principles, rules of engagement, training, intelligence sharing, cyber and drone governance, and accountability.

The host's argument
The Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, used the platform to push his own concept. He urged militaries to adopt MOOTW, or "Military Support to Peace and Security," as a framework, citing the army's role in Uganda's COVID-19 and Ebola responses, maritime security and humanitarian aid.

He also named the risks. He warned about restrictive rules of engagement, "mission creep," and "mission turbulence," where peaceful scenarios turn rapidly into combat. His proposed answer was strict adherence to international law, flexible command structures, harmonised African doctrines, joint training and strong civil-military coordination.

Museveni's closing message
Closing the meeting, President Yoweri Museveni argued that security cannot rest on weapons alone. The UPDF's account says he told the chiefs that defence capability must be rooted in a clear grasp of ideology, philosophy and strategy, and that militaries should take part in wealth creation, manufacturing and scientific advancement.

He used a historical example: gunpowder enabled the colonisation of Africa because the continent lacked comparable technology to defend itself. In the reading given to me, his message was that lasting security depends on a strong economy, political cohesion and regional cooperation.

That is consistent with what he has said before. In 2022 he told a Tanzanian military college that you cannot deal with security threats unless the economy is strong.In 2025 he said Uganda cannot thrive in isolation and urged closer cooperation with neighbours, citing the vision of Nkrumah, Nyerere and Kaunda.

General Salim Saleh, speaking virtually at the conference, called wealth creation a pillar of peace and described Museveni as "a master" of operations other than war.

A word of caution
The idea is sound, but it carries risks that African readers know well. When armies take on health, infrastructure, disaster relief and economic projects, the line between serving civilian authority and replacing it can blur. This is my own reading, not the conference's conclusion.

Kainerugaba's warning about mission creep was aimed at operations, but the same logic applies to politics. The test of a doctrine like MOOTW is whether it keeps soldiers under civilian oversight, with clear mandates, budgets and accountability. The Uganda brief's reference to "legal and ethical accountability" is a start, but it needs to be written into practice.

Why it matters for West Africa
West African armed forces already carry out many of these tasks, from floods to epidemics to peace missions. A shared African framework could help in practical ways: common training, interoperable communications and agreed rules for working with civilian agencies.

But frameworks only matter if they are adopted. The measure of this first conference will be whether it leads to a second, to an AU-endorsed text, and to cooperation that outlasts the speeches.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)

Mustysallama@gmail.com
+233555275880

References
Watchdog Uganda, "Uganda Opens First African Defence Chiefs Conference on Military Operations Other Than War in Kampala," 5 Oct 2026. watchdoguganda.com/news/20261005/199002/

allAfrica, "African Defence Chiefs Meet in Kampala to Strengthen Cooperation On Non-Combat Operations," 8 Oct 2026. allafrica.com/stories/202610080489.html

Watchdog Uganda, "Uganda Hosts First-Ever African Defence Chiefs Conference on Military Operations Other Than War," 5 Oct 2026. watchdoguganda.com/news/20261005/198979/

UPDF, "President Museveni Challenges African Militaries On Ideology, Philosophy, And Strategy," 9 Oct 2026. updf.go.ug/defence-security/president-museveni-challenges-african-militaries-on-ideology-philosophy-and-strategy/

UPDF, "Uganda To Host Inaugural Defence Chiefs' Summit On Military Operations Other Than War." updf.go.ug/diplomatic-relations/uganda-to-host-inaugural-defence-chiefs-summit-on-military-operations-other-than-war/ (also Daily Monitor, monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/uganda-to-host-inaugural-conference-on-military-operations-beyond-war-5509690)

UPDF, same article as [4] (Museveni and Saleh remarks).

[7] Daily Monitor, "Strong economy is key for security – Museveni," 2022. monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/strong-economy-is-key-for-security-museveni-3770902

allAfrica, "Uganda: Museveni Calls for African Political and Economic Unity to Secure Future," 27 Aug 2025. allafrica.com/stories/202508280090.html

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