Uganda’s military leader announced on Tuesday that special forces have been sent to South Sudan’s capital, Juba, to ensure its security amid escalating tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, raising concerns about a potential return to civil conflict.
Recent days have seen increased unrest in South Sudan, an oil-rich nation, following the detention of two ministers and several senior military officials associated with Machar by Kiir’s administration. One of the detained ministers has since been released.
The arrests in Juba, along with violent confrontations near the northern town of Nasir, are perceived as threats to the 2018 peace agreement that concluded a five-year civil war, which resulted in nearly 400,000 fatalities among Kiir and Machar’s opposing forces.
“Our Special Forces units entered Juba two days ago to secure the area,” stated Uganda’s military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, in a series of posts on the X platform early Tuesday.
“The UPDF (Ugandan People’s Defence Force) recognizes only one President of South Sudan, H.E. Salva Kiir. Any action against him is considered a declaration of war against Uganda,” he added in another message.
Attempts to reach South Sudan’s government information minister and military spokesperson for comments were unsuccessful.
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Following the outbreak of civil war in South Sudan in 2013, Uganda had previously deployed troops in Juba to support Kiir’s forces against Machar, withdrawing them in 2015. Troops were again sent to Juba in 2016 after renewed fighting but were eventually pulled out as well.
Uganda is concerned that a significant escalation of conflict in South Sudan could lead to a refugee crisis across the border and contribute to regional instability.
Kainerugaba did not clarify whether this latest troop deployment was made at the request of Kiir’s government or how long the Ugandan forces would remain in South Sudan.
