An unspecified number of Commandos of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) were flown into the South Sudanese capital Juba to bolster President Salva Kiir’s administration.
Rising tensions between the President and his Vice Riek Machar are feared to deteriorate into an armed conflict.
“UPDF commandos arriving in Juba to support South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) in the current crisis. Operation Mlinzi wa Kimya has begun. God bless UPDF!” said General Muhoozi Kainerugaba Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces.
The deployment code named Operation Mlinzi wa Kimya comes as Kiir’s administration intensifies a crackdown on Machar’s allies.
The disagreements between President Kiir and Vice president Riek Machar have deepened concerns over the fragile peace agreement signed in 2018 to end a brutal five-year civil war that claimed nearly 400,000 lives and displaced millions.
The agreement reinstated Machar as Vice President in a power-sharing government formed in 2020, but its implementation has been marred by delays and political disputes.
Uganda has historically played a significant role in South Sudan’s conflicts.
In 2013, following the outbreak of civil war triggered by the power struggle between Kiir and Machar, Ugandan troops intervened in Juba to bolster Kiir’s government.
The First Vice President Machar has raised concerns about President Kiir’s recent Cabinet reshuffle, which saw the removal of key officials seen as close to him.
Machar has called for the reinstatement of these officials, arguing that their removal violates the power-sharing deal and poses a threat to its existence.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence in 2011 but has faced persistent internal conflicts and delayed elections.
