Ugandan troops enter South Sudan as tensions rise
Uganda has sent special forces to South Sudan’s capital, Juba, after growing tensions in the country.
The deployment comes amid fears that a fragile peace deal could collapse following recent fighting between rival forces in the northeast.
Ugandan army chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba confirmed the move, saying, “As of two days ago, our Special Forces units entered Juba to secure it. We shall protect the entire territory of South Sudan like it was our own.”
The Ugandan army spokesman, Felix Kulayigye, also confirmed the deployment, explaining that the troops were sent in to protect the government. “We had instructions to deploy, and we deployed the troops there,” he told AFP.
South Sudan has struggled with violence and political instability for years. In 2013, Uganda sent soldiers to support President Salva Kiir during a civil war. The troops officially left in 2015, but tensions have remained high.
A peace deal in 2018 between Kiir and his rival, Vice President Riek Machar, ended the war.
However, fighting has flared up again, especially in Upper Nile State. Kiir’s supporters blame Machar’s forces and a group known as the White Army, a militia made up of young fighters from Machar’s Nuer ethnic group.
The United Nations has warned that South Sudan is experiencing “an alarming regression” that could undo years of peace efforts.
The International Crisis Group has also raised concerns, saying the country is “slipping rapidly toward full-blown war.”
