KAMPALA– Uganda has dispatched an undisclosed number of special forces troops to South Sudan to bolster the government of President Salva Kiir as tensions escalate between him and his deputy, raising fears of renewed civil conflict.
Major General Felix Kulayigye, spokesperson for the Ugandan military, confirmed the deployment to Juba, the South Sudanese capital, stating that the troops were sent “to support the government of South Sudan” amid concerns over a potential rebel offensive.
“We deployed a force there two days ago,” Kulayigye said. “We are not there for peacekeeping.”
The move underscores Uganda’s role as a key guarantor of South Sudan’s fragile peace process. President Yoweri Museveni, a longtime ally of Kiir, has previously intervened in the country’s conflicts to maintain Kiir’s position in power.
The deployment highlights rising instability in the oil-rich nation, which has struggled with political turmoil and violence since its independence from Sudan in 2011. The United States recently ordered the evacuation of nonessential government personnel from Juba, while the United Nations has warned of “an alarming regression that could erase years of hard-won progress.”
The current crisis stems from fighting in northern South Sudan between government forces and the White Army, a militia believed to be allied with Vice President Riek Machar. Tensions escalated last week when a South Sudanese general was killed after a United Nations helicopter was fired upon while evacuating government troops from Nasir, a town in Upper Nile State that had been overrun by the White Army. In response, government forces surrounded Machar’s residence in Juba, leading to the arrest of several of his allies, including Deputy Army Chief General Gabriel Duop Lam, a known Machar loyalist.
Machar’s faction has accused Kiir of undermining their power-sharing agreement by unilaterally dismissing officials aligned with him. Earlier this year, Machar warned that “persistent violations through unilateral decisions and decrees threaten the very existence” of the 2018 peace deal. Kiir, however, has called for calm, vowing that his government “will handle this crisis and remain steadfast on the path of peace.”
South Sudan has a history of violent political disputes. In 2013, a rift between Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and Machar, an ethnic Nuer, erupted into a brutal civil war along ethnic lines. Machar’s forces came close to capturing Juba but were repelled by a joint force of South Sudanese troops and Ugandan special forces. The five-year conflict claimed over 400,000 lives before a 2018 peace agreement facilitated Machar’s return as first vice president.
Despite international efforts to stabilize the country, deep-seated mistrust between Kiir and Machar continues to obstruct lasting peace. Both leaders have been accused of violating multiple ceasefires, delaying critical reforms, and stalling progress toward national elections, which have been repeatedly postponed and are now scheduled for 2026.
The latest developments in South Sudan signal a precarious political climate, with growing international pressure on Kiir and Machar to fully implement the 2018 peace agreement and prepare for a democratic transition. However, as tensions mount and Uganda increases its military presence, concerns persist that the nation could once again slide into widespread conflict.
