KAMPALA, Uganda — In a landmark parliamentary vote held Thursday, Ugandan authorities have secured legislative backing to contribute military personnel to the proposed International Stabilization Force for Gaza, an international security mission first put forward by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace in the wake of the devastating two-year Israel-Hamas conflict.
The motion, introduced by Uganda’s Defense Minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka, passed successfully, marking the first public confirmation of Uganda’s willingness to join the multilateral stabilization mission. Morocco has already publicly committed its own troops to the deployment, joining a small but growing group of nations that have signaled participation.
Even as the vote concluded, key questions remain unanswered about the drivers behind Uganda’s decision. Details of any potential underlying agreements or reciprocal arrangements have not been disclosed to the public, prompting immediate pushback from opposition lawmakers who have challenged the government’s stated rationale. Opposition lawmaker Hassan Kirumira raised pointed objections during parliamentary debate, noting that as a member state of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Uganda’s participation in the mission could trigger significant diplomatic friction. “The big question that supporters of this deployment must answer is: On which side is our army going to fight?” Kirumira told the chamber, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding the force’s operational mandate.
Defending the proposal to lawmakers, Kiwanuka pointed to Uganda’s long track record of international peacekeeping operations, most notably its decades-long deployment in Somalia, to argue the country has the trained military capacity to contribute effectively to the Gaza mission.
The 20,000-strong stabilization force was first unveiled by Trump’s Board of Peace in February, and is set to be commanded by U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers. In comments made in May, Jeffers stated the force’s core mission would be to lay the groundwork for “future prosperity and enduring peace” in Gaza following the end of major hostilities.
The deployment plan is tied to a broader ceasefire framework reached last year, which was updated last week when Trump announced a new agreement that would see Hamas fully disarm and Israeli forces complete a phased withdrawal from Gaza. Under the terms of the deal, the international stabilization force will only enter the territory once Israeli troops have completed their staged drawdown. The framework requires Israel to halt all offensive military operations, while Hamas and all affiliated militant groups in Gaza must end all armed activity. It also includes general guidelines for the process of disarming militant factions.
Since the text of the new agreement was published, Israeli officials have publicly stated they hold “serious security concerns” about the terms, and have already communicated those worries to U.S. negotiators. Tensions remain high even under the existing ceasefire, which ended large-scale combat in October: data shows that 1,250 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since the ceasefire agreement took effect.