UPDF officers graduate with French diplomas in Jinja

Learning a new language for nine months just to get a piece of paper at the French ambassador's crib sounds like a pretty sweet military perk.

Military French Class Wrap-Up

• UPDF officers just snagged French diplomas after a nine-month Jinja course.
• Ambassador Virginie Leroy hosted their graduation party at her Kampala residence.
• Colonel Emmanuel Muhoozi gave a shout-out to the French embassy for bankrolling the training.
• One grad, Amon Senkwari, called the skill key for talking to other forces in the DRC and CAR.

The Bigger Cooperation Angle

• Ambassador Leroy framed the whole thing as proof of Uganda and France getting cozier militarily.
• The attaché, Lt Col Sebastein Berger, linked it to shared ops against Al-Shabaab in Somalia.
• Higher-ups are pushing French as a must-have for peacekeeping and multinational gigs.
• A bunch of other countries' military attaches showed up to witness the ceremony.