By Ben Musanje
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has spoken out on the rapidly escalating war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, urging calm while emphasizing Uganda’s neutral stance and friendship with all sides in the Middle East.
Writing on his official X account, Museveni said Uganda maintains good relations with several countries in the region, including United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Speaking in his capacity as chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, he stressed that identity politics and sectarian divisions continue to fuel instability in the region.
“On the situation in the Middle East, all these countries are friends of Uganda,” Museveni said, warning that sectarian politics must be rejected if societies are to prosper.
His comments come at a time when the Middle East is experiencing one of its most dangerous military escalations in years.
The current war intensified on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes on Iran in an operation aimed at weakening Tehran’s military and nuclear capabilities.
The attacks, which hit several strategic sites in Iran including facilities in the capital Tehran, triggered swift retaliation from Iran, which fired missiles and drones toward Israeli territory and American military bases across the Gulf region.
The escalating conflict has already caused heavy casualties and growing international concern. Reports indicate that more than 1,300 people in Iran have been killed since the start of the bombardment as the United States and Israel continue their strikes at what analysts describe as an unprecedented pace.
Iran has also expanded its retaliation beyond Israel, launching missile and drone attacks toward Gulf states and threatening shipping routes in the critical Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil corridor.
While global powers debate how to stop the violence, Museveni used the moment to call for unity and peace.
Earlier, the president hosted Muslim leaders for an Iftar dinner at State House in Entebbe during the holy month of Ramadan. During the gathering, he congratulated Muslims for progressing through the fasting period and thanked them for their support to the ruling National Resistance Movement.
Museveni said the Ramadan season should remind people across the world of the need for justice, unity, and shared prosperity.
He added that Ugandans deserve praise for rejecting sectarian politics and embracing national unity — a principle he said has strengthened the country’s stability since the expansion of the National Resistance Council in 1989. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
