Uganda announces the deployment of special forces in the capital of South Sudan in response to rising tensions

On Tuesday, Uganda’s military chief announced that special forces had been deployed in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, to ensure its security amid rising tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, which have raised concerns about a potential return to civil war.

In recent days, tensions have escalated in South Sudan, an oil-producing nation, following the detention of two ministers and several senior military officials associated with Machar by Kiir’s government. One minister has now been released.

The arrests in Juba and the violent confrontations near the northern town of Nasir are perceived as threatening the 2018 peace agreement that concluded a five-year civil conflict between the factions loyal to Kiir and Machar, which resulted in nearly 400,000 fatalities.

“Two days ago, our Special Forces units entered Juba to secure the area,” stated Uganda’s military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, in a series of posts on the X platform late Monday night.

“The UPDF (Ugandan military) acknowledges only one President of South Sudan, H.E. Salva Kiir … any action taken against him is considered a declaration of war against Uganda,” he stated in a subsequent post.

The information minister of South Sudan’s government and the military spokesperson were unavailable for comment, as they did not answer phone calls.

Following the outbreak of civil war in South Sudan in 2013, Uganda sent its troops to Juba to support Kiir’s forces in their conflict with Machar. They were ultimately withdrawn in 2015.

In 2016, Ugandan troops were redeployed to Juba following a resurgence of fighting between the two factions, but they were ultimately withdrawn as well.

Uganda is concerned that a significant outbreak of violence in its northern neighbor may lead to a surge of refugees crossing the border, which could in turn foster instability.

Kainerugaba did not indicate whether the recent deployment was a response to a request from Kiir’s government or how long the troops would stay in South Sudan.