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UPDF seeks Shs39.1b for South Sudan operation
Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs Mr Jacob Oboth (left) and the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs Ms Rosette Byengoma appearing before the Defence committee on March 27, 2025. PHOTO/SYLIVIA KATUSHABE
What you need to know:
On March 14, the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced that troops had been deployed to Juba to secure the capital, where a local militia, associated with First Vice President Riek Machar, is reportedly terrorising the national army
The Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) is seeking Shs39.1b to fund its ongoing operations in South Sudan.
While appearing before the Defence Committee of Parliament on March 27, 2025, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Rosette Byengoma, informed the members that the funds would be used to cover the operational and logistical requirements for the South Sudan mission.
On March 14, the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced that troops had been deployed to Juba to secure the capital, where a local militia, associated with First Vice President Riek Machar, is reportedly terrorising the national army.
Last week, the Ugandan Parliament approved the deployment in South Sudan. Presenting the motion, Minister for Defence Jacob Oboth Oboth explained that civil unrest erupted in South Sudan's Upper Nile State in early March, prompting President Salva Kiir to request urgent support from President Yoweri Museveni.
This request comes amid accusations from South Sudan's First Vice President, Riek Machar, who has alleged that Uganda’s military bombed civilians and called for the withdrawal of the UPDF. In a letter to the United Nations and the African Union, Machar claimed that Uganda’s air force had carried out bombings in the Upper Nile and Jonglei states in South Sudan, targeting civilian populations.
According to the UPDF, the troops are expected to reinforce peacekeeping efforts and prevent the escalation of violence in the region.
However, the Defence Committee raised concerns about the UPDF's ability to manage the operation in South Sudan given the claimed lack of resources.
“The UPDF is already in South Sudan, and here you are saying we don’t have money—about 39 billion—to cater for the operation. What we want to know is, where are you getting the extra resources to sustain our soldiers in South Sudan, considering the operation is already underway?” asked Mr Gilbert Olanya, the Kilak South MP.
He added, “We saw many tanks, bombs, and thousands of soldiers being sent to South Sudan. We don’t know where they [UPDF] got the resources from.”
In response, Minister Oboth explained, “UPDF is very creative; they could have carried their small food rations. However, we thank the Ministry of Finance, which has allocated Shs60b. The Shs39.1 billion will be covered, allowing us to fund the operation in South Sudan.”
However, this response raised further questions regarding the Ministry of Finance’s release of funds without Parliament’s approval.
“They’re saying the Ministry of Finance gave them money—where did it come from without Parliament's approval? The operation wasn’t even captured in their supplementary budget,” questioned Mr Linos Ngompek, the MP for Kibanda North.
