Uganda has sent its special forces to South Sudan’s capital, Juba, to assist President Salva Kiir in securing the city, according to General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces.
“As of two days ago, our Special Forces units entered Juba to secure it,” Kainerugaba stated. He did not provide a detailed rationale for the deployment but emphasized Uganda’s unwavering support for Kiir. “We, the UPDF (Ugandan military), only recognize one President of South Sudan, H.E. Salva Kiir. Any move against him is a declaration of war against Uganda,” he said in a post on the social media platform X.
Kainerugaba added, “We shall protect the entire territory of South Sudan as if it were our own..”
A History of Ugandan Military Involvement in South Sudan
This is not the first time Uganda has intervened militarily in South Sudan. During the civil war that broke out in 2013, Ugandan troops were deployed to Juba to support Kiir’s forces against opposition leader Riek Machar. Those troops were withdrawn in 2015. However, when fighting reignited in 2016, Uganda again sent its military to Juba before eventually pulling out.
The latest deployment comes amid escalating tensions between Kiir and his deputy, Machar. Last week, South Sudanese security forces arrested the deputy chief of the army and two ministers, all of whom are allies of Machar. An opposition spokesman described the arrests as a “grave violation” of the country’s peace agreement. One of the ministers has since been released.
South Sudan’s government has not yet commented on Uganda’s recent military deployment. The move underscores the fragile political situation in the country, which has struggled to achieve lasting stability since gaining independence in 2011.