11/03/2025
Uganda’s military chief and son to the nation’s president, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, overnight took to social media to announce that the East African nation has deployed special forces in Juba to “secure” South Sudan.
The Ugandan military chief posted a video on X showing military personnel disembarking from an airplane, with a caption reading “UPDF Commandos arriving in Juba to support South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) in the current crisis.”
“Operation ‘Mlini wa Kimya’ has begun. God bless UPDF!” Kainerugaba said.
Speaking with French wire service, Agence France-Presse, Uganda’s army spokesperson Felix Kulayigye reiterated Kainerugaba’s statements and said the special forces were deployed in Juba “to protect the government.”
The statements by the Ugandan military officials came as tensions heightened in South Sudan between President Salva Kiir and his first Vice President Riek Machar, stoking fears that the nation’s peace treaty maybe in jeopardy.
Tensions have been growing in recent days in South Sudan after Kiir's government detained two ministers and several senior military officials allied with Machar. One minister has since been released.
South Sudanese officials are yet to publicly comment on the arrival of Ugandan troops, and Kainerugaba did not specify whether the deployment was in response to a request from Kiir's government or how long the troops would remain in South Sudan.
Some information was provided by Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
vote and Voice 211 News 🗞️
