Uganda and Angola have officially joined the Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC), expanding a regional security initiative established by South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania to combat illicit drug trafficking and transnational organised crime.
Uganda’s Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Juma Witonze Kisekka, represented the country at the three-day Ministerial Troika Meeting held in Pretoria, South Africa, from October 14 to 16, 2026. The meeting marked the admission of Uganda and Angola as new members of the regional security framework.
In a statement shared on X, Kisekka reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to strengthening regional cooperation, intelligence sharing and joint efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking and transnational organised crime in partnership with other member states and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
He also congratulated President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on the milestone, describing it as an important step towards strengthening Uganda’s role in regional security and cross-border cooperation.
The TPC was established in Maputo, Mozambique, with support from the UNODC to disrupt illicit drug trafficking along the Southern Route through improved intelligence sharing and coordinated law enforcement operations.
The Pretoria meeting, held under the theme “Strengthening Transnational Coordination to Better Identify External Factors Contributing to Organised Crime in the Trilateral States,” brought together ministers and senior security officials from participating countries.
Those in attendance included South Africa’s Acting Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia; Mozambique’s Interior Minister, Paulo Chachine; Tanzania’s Minister of State, Palamagamba John Kabudi; and Angola’s Secretary of State for the Interior, General Arnaldo Manuel Carlos.
Discussions focused on strengthening regional cooperation through real-time information sharing, improved profiling of criminal networks and enhanced detection of illicit drugs at border points.
Participants also explored the establishment of a Regional Joint Counter-Narcotics and Organised Crime Fusion Centre to facilitate intelligence analysis, improve coordination among security agencies and support joint operations.
The expanded membership is expected to strengthen the initiative’s operational reach in tackling drug trafficking networks and related crimes, including kidnapping, vehicle theft, human trafficking and financial offences.
The meeting concluded with commitments to review implementation progress, address operational challenges and prioritise coordinated action against transnational criminal networks.
Uganda and Angola’s admission marks a step towards strengthening regional security cooperation, improving cross-border intelligence sharing and building a more coordinated response to organised crime across Southern and Eastern Africa.