More Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) troops have been sent to South Sudan to support commandos who arrived in Juba last week under Operation ‘Mlinzi wa Kimya’.
The troops have been deployed to assist the South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) following rising tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar.
"UPDF Commandos arriving in Juba to support South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) in the current crisis," the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, posted on X last week. His post included a video showing Special Forces Command troops alighting from a helicopter in South Sudan.
The tensions escalated after clashes near the northern town of Nasir, putting the 2018 peace deal at risk.
The agreement ended a five-year civil war between Kiir and Machar’s forces, a conflict that killed nearly 400,000 people.
Gen Kainerugaba, who is also the Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, warned last week that any action against Kiir would be considered a declaration of war on Uganda.
"We the UPDF (Ugandan military) only recognise one President of South Sudan, H.E. Salva Kiir... Any move against him is a declaration of war against Uganda," he posted on X.
Relatedly, the acting spokesperson of the UPDF told the press last week that the Ugandan military acted decisively by deploying troops in Juba following a request from the South Sudanese government
Ugandan troops were first sent to South Sudan in 2013 when civil war erupted due to the power struggle between President Kiir and Machar.
