President Museveni atop a UPDF armoured truck during his visit to the soldiers on the frontline in South Sudan in 2019. PHOTO | PPU
South Sudan First Vice President, Dr Reik Machar has accused Uganda’s military of bombing civilians and demanded the withdrawal of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces from his country.
In his letter to the United Nations Organisation (UN), and African Union (AU) on Sunday, Dr Machar said the Ugandan air force was bombing civilians in Upper Nile and Jonglei states in South Sudan.
“The Ugandan forces are currently taking part in air strikes against civilians in counties of Nasir, Longechuk and Ulang in Upper State, and Akobo County in Jonglei State,” Dr Machar’s letter reads in part.
Uganda deployed troops in South Sudan to support President Salva Kiir’s government, which is facing security challenges with Dr Machar. The two South Sudan leaders accepted a transitional government in 2018 after groups allied to both sides engaged in a civil war. However, the transitional government was supposed to lead to general elections, which hasn’t happened.
The tensions escalated after President Kiir arrested Dr Machar’s allies and sacked others.
Armed allies of Dr Machar in Upper Nile State also attacked government military bases, which led to the death of Maj Gen Majur Dak and 27 other soldiers during an aerial evacuation.
The Ugandan government said that Mr Kiir asked for military support from Uganda to protect his government.
South Sudan vice president Riek Machar. Photo / File
The acting Public Information Director of the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs, Col Chris Magezi dismissed allegations that UPDF is targeting civilians in South Sudan.
“The UPDF, in its operations, makes a distinction between military and civilian objects. We don’t attack civilians or civilian infrastructure. And that hasn’t changed,” Col Magezi said.
Col Magezi said Dr Machar’s statements are wild allegations that should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve.
“The UPDF should be judged by its long track record not only in South Sudan, but also in the region. The biggest ally of South Sudan by far has been Uganda. We have fought alongside the SPLM when they were fighting for independence,” he said.
Using his social media platform, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Commander of Defence Forces of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces, said that he was tired of killing Nuer people, a tribe to which Dr Machar is a member.
Dr Machar said Uganda is violating that peace agreement and the United Nations Security Council resolution not to send foreign troops to South Sudan.
“There is fear from our part that these challenges, including the Ugandan intervention, may lead to the collapse of the [peace] agreement. In addition, the presence of the Ugandan military shall impede the process of the transition to democracy,” Dr Machar said.
“We therefore impress upon the AUPSC (African Union Peace and Security Council), IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) and the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) to intervene and ask the government of the Republic of Uganda to withdraw her military forces from the Republic of South Sudan,” he said.
It is the second time in five years that Uganda has deployed troops in another country without seeking approval from Parliament. Uganda deployed troops in eastern DRC in 2021. The Ugandan forces' military operation in the eastern DRC has continued to expand at the expense of the Ugandan taxpayers. More than Shs400b have been spent on the operations in eastern DRC since 2021.
In December 2013, Uganda quickly deployed troops in Juba after President Kiir and his Vice President Machar faction started fighting. Days later, the Uganda government got approval from the Parliament to deploy troops in South Sudan.
Uganda prevented Mr Machar’s troops from overrunning Juba capital and Malakal City, but a dozen Ugandan soldiers lost their lives in the fighting.
Uganda evacuated more than 50,000 Ugandan traders from South Sudan.
Although South Sudan had promised to fund Uganda’s deployment, they failed to do it in time, forcing Ugandan authorities to shoulder the burden, which put a huge toll on the economy.
The defeat of Mr Machar led to the establishment of a transitional government in 2015 and later a 2018 peace agreement.
Both parties agreed on reconciliation, disarmament of informal groups and having a unified national army. Thereafter, the country would go for the general elections.
The mandate of the transitional government has been extended several times since then.
Although there was later a semblance of normalcy, the war destroyed the South Sudan economy and displaced millions of people.
Ugandan traders were among those who were affected by the war. Many Ugandan companies, even those that supplied the government, were not paid.
The companies defaulted on their bank loans, and their properties were seized by the lenders. The Ugandan government had to pay some Ugandan suppliers on behalf of South Sudan to be able to save many companies from closing and impacting the economy.
