The UPDF has deployed to South Sudan to aid President Salva Kiir amid escalating tensions between military factions. This marks another intervention in a nation facing political crisis, with historical legacies of conflict between Kiir and rival Riek Machar. International bodies urge peaceful resolution to prevent further violence, especially given regional instability.
The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) has been deployed in South Sudan to support President Salva Kiir’s government amid increasing political turmoil. Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced this operation, named ‘Mlinzi wa Kimya,’ via a social media video showing soldiers disembarking from an aircraft. The video’s timing remains unclear, highlighting the ongoing instability in South Sudan, Africa’s youngest nation.
Previously, the UPDF intervened in South Sudan in 2013, also without parliamentary approval, to stabilize President Kiir’s regime against a coup attempt by Riek Machar, who was then Vice President. The current deployment’s legal justification lacks clarity, as there has been no documented parliamentary authorization.
Tensions involving armed factions loyal to Kiir and Machar have been escalating, notably after militias loyal to Machar captured the town of Nasir, leading to significant casualties, including a commander from the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF). Fighting has surged in Malakal and Bentiu, territories dominated by Machar’s ethnic Nuer community, while clashes also emerge in Bar el Ghazal, a region predominantly associated with Kiir’s Dinka tribe.
Recent actions in the capital, Juba, have seen several arrests of Machar’s supporters, and reports indicate that Machar himself is under house arrest. If these conflicts intensify, it would mark the third outbreak of widespread violence in South Sudan since its independence in 2011, following previous escalations in 2013 and 2016.
Past hostilities between Machar and Kiir initiated a two-year civil war culminating in a peace agreement in 2015, ultimately leading to Machar’s reinstatement as First Vice President. However, persistent tensions led to a breakdown of this accord and another round of violence in 2016, resulting in vast human suffering. A revitalized peace agreement in 2018 aimed to stabilize the nation, but challenges remain, particularly with the postponement of scheduled elections originally set for this year.
Despite international calls from organizations like IGAD, the United Nations, and the African Union for resolving conflicts peacefully, the situation in South Sudan remains precarious, exacerbated by the fallout from neighboring Sudan’s civil unrest. Prompt intervention is mandated to prevent a regional crisis.
The recent deployment of the UPDF in South Sudan highlights the worsening crisis as political factions clash under President Salva Kiir’s regime. With historical precedents of violence between Kiir and his rival Riek Machar, this situation raises concerns about future stability in the country and the broader region. International entities emphasize the need for peaceful resolutions to avoid escalated conflict, particularly in the wake of civil strife in neighboring Sudan.
Original Source: www.independent.co.ug
