KAMPALA, 21 August. - (ANA) - Ugandan soldiers have posted videos of themselves preparing to head to the Gaza Strip weeks after their deployment to the war-ravaged enclave was approved last month, as part of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF).

 

Some soldiers took to social media to post themselves wearing military garb and carrying equipment in airplanes, boarding and landing in locations that weren’t disclosed, with the Ugandan flag visible on their uniform. The troops posted the videos with the caption "Gaza here we come," in reference to their deployment to the Strip.

 

The videos have sparked backlash online given the controversy surrounding the International Stabilisation Force, which is part of US President Donald Trump’s so-called peace plan for the Gaza Strip.

 

The ISF is a UN-mandated peacekeeping force outlined in the wider peace plan for Gaza, where Israel has waged a vicious military onslaught and genocide for almost three years.

 

Activists took to social media to express anger at the soldiers leaving for the war-battered territory, where over 73,300 Palestinians have been killed, with thousands more unaccounted for.

 

One user labelled them "the scum of the earth", while another said they were "colonial troops".

 

In a post on X, anthropologist and author Shabana Mir called them "Ugandan mercenaries for genocide". Fellow writer Carolyn Hinds compared this deployment with that of troops from African countries to Haiti under a UN-backed mission aimed at curbing gang violence, and said: "They sent Kenyans and Ghanaians to Haiti as proxies under American mercenaries, and now they are sending Ugandans to Gaza as proxies under the IOF and Israeli government. Black African nations and people doing the dirty work of white imperialists are forever shameful."

 

The ISF is reportedly expected to help with security, train a Palestinian police force, and oversee the demilitarisation and rebuilding of Gaza.

 

Several nations have agreed to send their troops to Gaza as part of the plan, including Kazakhstan, Morocco, Indonesia, and Kosovo.

 

Some 30 Moroccan troops have already reportedly entered Gaza, in what was the Moroccan army's first field tour of the areas where soldiers are expected to operate.

 

Jordan and Egypt, which have mediated throughout peace talks between Israel and Hamas, said they would train police forces in the Palestinian territory, but declined joining the ISF.

 

Uganda was specifically requested to participate in the force, with the country’s parliament authorising the deployment last month.

 

Opposition politicians in the East African country have raised concerns over how "neutral" Ugandan troops will be in Gaza, given the government's strong pro-Israeli statements amid its ongoing military operations in the Palestinian territory and Iran.   - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/21 August 2026 - - -