Uganda has deployed its Special Forces to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, as tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar intensify and raise fears of a return to civil war.
Recent days have seen the detention of two ministers and several senior military officials allied with Machar, with one minister later released. The arrests and clashes near Nasir threaten the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five‑year conflict costing nearly 400,000 lives.
Uganda’s military chief announced that its Special Forces had entered Juba to secure the city, stating that the Ugandan military only recognizes President Kiir and that any action against him would constitute a declaration of war against Uganda.
No comment has been received from South Sudan government officials regarding the situation.
Uganda previously sent troops to Juba in 2013 to support Kiir’s forces, withdrawing them in 2015. The country redeployed soldiers in 2016 when fighting resumed, only to pull them out again later.
Uganda is concerned that a full‑blown conflict could trigger large refugee flows across its border and destabilize the region.
Details about whether the new deployment was requested by the South Sudan government or the expected duration of the Ugandan presence remain unclear.
