Uganda’s army reiterates that he sent Yuba troops after the official denial from South Sudan

The Ugandesas FFAA argue that “if there was no agreement” between both parties, this deployment “would constitute an invasion”

Madrid, Mar. (Europa Press) –

The Uganda Army has assured that it has sent troops to the capital of South Sudan, Yuba, given the increase in tensions in the country, after the Sursudan government said Tuesday that the military were not deployed on the land after the announcement of the shipment from Kampala.

The spokesman for the Ugandesas Armed Forces, Felix Kulayigye, has indicated that “the mission is to support the South Sudan government in the face of the increase in insecurity in the country”, before suggesting that the southern authorities have given their approval to this deployment, despite not officially confirming it.

“If there was no agreement (between the two governments), this would constitute an invasion,” he said in statements to the Tamazuj radio station. “Our forces are already in the country. The mission will continue as long as there are still security risks,” he said, before stating that the presence calendar “will depend on events.”

Kulayigye’s words arrive after the head of the Uganda army, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced on Tuesday the sending of members of the special forces to Yuba to support the president of the country, Salva Kiir, given the increase in tensions and the risk of collapse of the peace agreement signed in 2018.

“Two days ago, our Special Forces units entered Yuba to guarantee their safety,” said Kainerugaba, son of the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, through his account in the social network X. “We must protect the entire territory of South Sudan as if it were ours,” he added.

However, the spokesman for the Sursudan government, Michael Makuei, denied that Uganda has deployed these forces in Yuba. “Those forces are not here,” he said, before adding that the head of the Uganda army “contradicts”, since South Sudan recently “was responsible for his own crises.”

Uganda already deployed his forces in Yuba after the outbreak of the civil war in 2013, when they backed Kiir loyal troops against the forces of the former rebel leader and current vice president first, Riek Machar. Subsequently, they deployed them again in 2016 against a rebound of the fighting.

South Sudan has suffered a rebound in tensions in the last days because of the clashes in Nasir County, in the state of Alto Nilo (North), between the army and a local militia, facts that have resulted in the detention of several politicians close to Machar for alleged relationship with the incidents.

Sources cited by Radio Tamazuj have pointed out that during the last hours the opposition parliamentarian Gatwech Lam Puoch has been arrested, high position of the Liberation Movement of the People of Sudan-in opposition (SPLM-IO) of Machar, in the midst of the warnings of the party on a possible collapse of the peace agreement, which could cause a new burst of large-scale hostilities.