Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and First Son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has confirmed the deployment of Ugandan special forces in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, amid rising tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar.
The move comes as fears of renewed civil war grow following the detention of two ministers and several high-ranking military officials allied with Machar. While one minister has since been released, the arrests and ongoing clashes near the northern town of Nasir threaten to undermine the 2018 peace agreement that ended a brutal five-year conflict, which claimed nearly 400,000 lives.
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“As of two days ago, our Special Forces units entered Juba to secure it,” Gen. Muhoozi announced in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter). He declared Uganda’s full support for Kiir, stating, “We, the UPDF, only recognize one President of South Sudan, H.E. Salva Kiir… any move against him is a declaration of war against Uganda.”
The South Sudanese government and military have not commented on Uganda’s deployment. Uganda has previously intervened in South Sudan’s conflicts, first deploying troops in 2013 to support Kiir’s forces against Machar and again in 2016, though they were later withdrawn.
Kampala is concerned that escalating violence in South Sudan could lead to a mass refugee influx and potential instability in Uganda’s northern border regions. Muhoozi did not specify whether the latest deployment was requested by Kiir’s government or how long Ugandan troops would remain in Juba.
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