Military officials from Uganda and Burundi visited Israel last week to discuss deploying troops to Gaza as part of an international security force envisioned by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace for the fragile ceasefire, according to officials. A Board of Peace official told The Associated Press that Ugandan officials joined a Burundian military delegation, and that Uganda is finalizing details of its participation after its parliament approved the troop contribution this month.
Nothing has been finalized with Burundi, but the official said they look forward to starting the process. The Burundian military delegation, led by three senior military officers, expressed interest in joining the international force. Uganda has committed around 1,200 personnel to the force, while Morocco has committed up to 500, and Kosovo, Kazakhstan, and Albania have committed around 80 personnel in total.
The international force, which would be led by U.S. Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, aims to deploy 20,000 troops to Gaza. However, progress on the force has been slow, with committed troops remaining far short of the goal. The force would help monitor the ceasefire, train Palestinian police, and secure the delivery of aid, among other tasks.
The ceasefire that took effect in Gaza last October has stalled due to disagreements regarding Israel’s withdrawal from the strip and Hamas’ disarmament. A U.S. delegation met with the Hamas leader and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to press them forward, but Netanyahu has rejected the deal, saying Israel will not withdraw from any of the roughly 60% of the territory it controls in Gaza until Hamas has been completely disarmed.
Experts say Uganda and Burundi have gained considerable peacekeeping experience through long-term deployments in Somalia as part of an African Union force resisting the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group. Their countries’ leaderships have shown they are willing to tolerate high numbers of casualties without withdrawing, making them suitable candidates for the Gaza deployment.
Deploying to Gaza with U.S. support is seen as a way for Uganda and Burundi to accrue financial and material support for their militaries, as the mission in Somalia winds down. A Ugandan military officer with knowledge of the upcoming deployment said troops were being selected to go to Gaza.
