diff --git a/du_setup.sh b/du_setup.sh
index 82f0057..85c5dcb 100644
--- a/du_setup.sh
+++ b/du_setup.sh
@@ -1182,11 +1182,16 @@ EOF
     echo "$UFW_PROBES_CONFIG" > "$UFW_FILTER_PATH"
     echo "$JAIL_LOCAL_CONFIG" > "$JAIL_LOCAL_PATH"
 
+    # --- Ensure the log file exists BEFORE restarting the service ---
+    if [[ ! -f /var/log/ufw.log ]]; then
+        touch /var/log/ufw.log
+        print_info "Created empty /var/log/ufw.log to ensure Fail2Ban starts correctly."
+    fi
+
     # --- Restart and Verify Fail2ban ---
     print_info "Enabling and restarting Fail2Ban to apply new rules..."
     systemctl enable fail2ban
     systemctl restart fail2ban
-    sleep 2 # Give the service a moment to initialize.
 
     if systemctl is-active --quiet fail2ban; then
         print_success "Fail2Ban is active with the new configuration."