Six People Died in South Sudan-Uganda Clashes Over a Border Conflict

Longtime friends South Sudan and Uganda have clashed along their common border, killing at least six people.

Tensions between two longtime friends have been rekindled after armed clashes between South Sudanese and Ugandan troops along their disputed border, which have resulted in at least six deaths. The clash took place Monday in South Sudan’s Kajo Keji County, which is regularly tense due to conflicting territory claims.

Five members of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) were killed in the combat, according to South Sudanese officials, while one Ugandan soldier was also reportedly slain. Along the ill-defined boundary, the episode represents one of the most significant escalations in recent months.

Felix Kulayigye, a spokesman for the Ugandan army, asserted that the conflict started when South Sudanese soldiers refused to leave Uganda’s West Nile region, necessitating a military reaction. Authorities in Kajo Keji, meantime, charged Ugandan troops with carrying out a surprise attack with the help of artillery and tanks.

Although the SSPDF acknowledged the conflict, it did not immediately reveal the number of casualties. The joint South Sudan-Uganda border committee will attempt to settle the issue amicably and avoid further escalation, according to a statement released Tuesday evening by SSPDF spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang.

The two countries have a long history of strong relations, with Uganda being instrumental in helping President Salva Kiir’s administration first during South Sudan’s independence movement and again during its civil war. However, ties are still strained by the unresolved border demarcation, which occasionally flares up into fatal but minor altercations.

Amid a new schism between President Kiir and his adversary, First Vice President Riek Machar, South Sudan summoned Ugandan military to strengthen security in its capital, Juba, earlier this year.