He also said: “On the small issue of enforcing sanctions against North Korea, Uganda is in compliance. We do not have to trade with North Korea. We are, however, grateful that, in the past, the North Koreans helped us to build our tank forces.”

Indeed on September 15, 2017, the ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that “Uganda had undertaken a number of measures to implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions, including ceasing any dealings with a sanctioned entity.”

It added that Uganda had “severed cooperation with Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation (Komid) and demanded the withdrawal of its representatives from Uganda.”

An internet search shows that Komid is North Korea’s “primary arms dealer and main exporter of goods and equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons.”

Margaret Kafeero, the head of public diplomacy at the ministry of Foreign Affairs, told The Observer yesterday this didn’t mean Uganda was cutting diplomatic ties with North Korea. She said Uganda was stopping to deal with North Korean companies as a member of the UN with an obligation to enforce the sanctions.

Museveni’s opinion on North Korea may not matter to the US President Donald Trump, if Pyongyang continues with nuclear tests. The US has signalled it may attack. But what explains Museveni’s love for the country described by many as a danger to world peace?

A number of explanations have been advanced but prominent of all is the north being one of the sources of Uganda’s military hardware and the desire to show China that Uganda does not side a lot with the West.

China has vehemently opposed USA’s attempt to get a resolution through the UN Security Council to allow an attack on North Korea.

Since his coming to power in 1986, Museveni has visited North Korea several times. In the early years of his rule when Museveni still championed Marxist ideology, these visits would have appeared only natural.

South Korean news agency Yonhap has reported that Museveni visited North Korea in 1987, 1990 and 1992 and met with Kim Il  Sung.

North Korean instructors have trained Uganda’s police in weapons use and martial arts, the UN has said in its sanctions reports. The New York Times has reported that Uganda is believed to be a crucial buyer of rifles and other small arms from North Korea. Other things, including teargas, are also shopped from Pyongyang.

Uganda’s tank units were built around North Korean armoured warfare doctrine, it is believed. According to knowledgeable people, some government spokespersons have also had a stint in North Korea and have been trained in the art of propaganda.

In 2014, Museveni was awarded North Korea’s top award – the International Kim II Sung Prize – recognising him for his “contribution to development of Africa.”

The award was instituted in honour of President Kim (Senior)’s leadership. Museveni declined the award, perhaps not to irritate the West.

But it is the military hardware Uganda gets from North Korea that have been earning Kim Jong Un’s regime that much-needed hard currency.

Some analysts think Museveni was addressing an audience beyond North Korea, probably Beijing. Dr Moses Khisa, a political science don at North Carolina State University, said Museveni’s posture on North Korea is tied to his strategy of remaining dear to China.

“The flexing of muscles over North Korea is as much about US-China relations as about nuclear politics. Museveni understands this. He knows how to hedge his bets and play the cards that keep him doing business with both sides,” Khisa said.

He added that Museveni’s argument about a unified Korea is an attempt to tread a middle ground.

“I don’t know if he really sees North Korea as a very important ally. I think the real deal is China,” Khisa said.

Bank of Uganda filings, which capture the amount of trade Uganda does with another country, show Uganda has never exported anything to North Korea.

It shows, however, that Uganda imported goods worth $4.8 million in 2014, $1 million in 2015, and $520,000 last year. All these transactions are believed to have been in military ware.

Uganda trades more with South Korea. BOU shows Uganda exported items worth $5.6 million in 2014. Last year the figure was much lower at $160,000. Last year, former South Korean president Park Geun-hye visited Uganda and President Museveni promised that Uganda would cut military and police ties with the North.

The big deal is China. Uganda exported goods worth $56 million in 2015 and $27 million last year. China is currently the biggest lender to Uganda and last year Uganda imported goods worth $700 million from China, making Beijing Kampala’s biggest import market.

In standing with North Korea, Museveni is not just looking at Pyongyang but also in a way telling Beijing that we are on your side.  

amwesigwa@observer.ug