Uganda has relocated its special forces to South Sudan’s capital, Juba, to secure the city, according to Uganda’s military chief, amid concerns over escalating tensions that threaten a return to civil conflict in South Sudan.
The deployment, carried out at the request of the South Sudanese government, comes in response to recent political unrest. Tensions in South Sudan have risen following the detention of two ministers and several senior military officials loyal to First Vice President Riek Machar by President Salva Kiir’s administration. One of the detained ministers has since been released. These events, along with deadly clashes near the town of Nasir, risk undermining the fragile peace established by a 2018 agreement that ended a five-year civil war, which claimed nearly 400,000 lives.
In a series of posts on the X platform, Uganda’s military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced, “As of two days ago, our Special Forces units entered Juba to secure it.” He reiterated that the Ugandan military only recognizes South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, warning that any move against him would be considered an act of war against Uganda.
Military spokesperson Felix Kulayigye confirmed that the troops were deployed with the permission of the South Sudanese government. He added that the duration of the deployment will depend on how the situation unfolds, though details of the troop numbers remain undisclosed.
Juba has previously seen the presence of Ugandan troops. Uganda first deployed forces in the capital in 2013 to support Kiir’s government against rival factions led by Machar, followed by subsequent deployments in 2016; both instances ended with withdrawal when hostilities subsided. The current move is a precautionary measure as Uganda remains concerned that renewed conflict in South Sudan could trigger large-scale displacement and regional instability.
This deployment comes at a time when the situation in South Sudan grows increasingly volatile, with risks that renewed fighting could destabilize an already fragile region. With these maneuvers, Uganda aims to assist its South Sudanese partners in securing Juba and preventing further deterioration of the security situation.
Meanwhile, Uganda has been utilizing it’s military hard power in safeguarding it’s interests in the region. The country recently sent troops to Bunia, a town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to tackle local militias amid a backdrop of escalating violence in the region.
Uganda has deployed more than 1,000 additional soldiers in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo in the past week near an area where the Kinshasa government is fighting M23 rebels, heightening fears of a regional escalation.