South Sudan, Ugandan lawmakers question Ugandan troop deployment

March 14, 2025 (JUBA) – South Sudanese and Ugandan lawmakers have expressed concerns over the deployment of Ugandan troops to South Sudan without parliamentary knowledge or approval, citing constitutional and financial implications.

South Sudan’s Parliament Spokesman Oliver Benjamin Mori said the Juba parliament had no information about the deployment of foreign troops, saying the leadership had yet to provide information to the house.

“Yes, there have been reports and talks in the media about the deployment of foreign troops. Some say they came by road from Nimule. Others are saying they arrived by air through Juba International Airport. They are talking of Ugandan troops. As a parliament, we have no such information. If there is such a development, the parliamentary committee on defence and public order and that of security would have apprised the house,” Mori said.

Ugandan Defence Minister Jacob Markson Oboth said he had no formal communication about the deployment and would not comment on media reports, citing his training as a lawyer who relies on formally provided information.

“Information has to be formal; don’t rely on social media. I am not aware of any formal communication,” Oboth said. He was reacting to queries by Ugandan lawmakers, some of whom questioned the basis of the deployment without parliamentary approval, citing financial and legal implications.

Ssemujju Ibrahim, a Ugandan lawmaker representing Kira municipality from the Forum for Democratic Change, one of Uganda’s two main opposition parties, raised the motion in parliament. “The good thing is that the minister of defence is here to tell us how this deployment has been done in total violation of the constitution. Deployment of the national army cannot be casually done. That is why, in the constitution, it must be done with full authority of parliament,” Ibrahim said.

“Let the government show that they are actually working because it is not difficult for the minister to verify if a government is running. And since it is a very important matter, you know, under section 39, deployment outside the country for a peacekeeping mission can only happen with the approval of parliament. That is in the law. It even goes to say that if parliament were in recess, parliament would be recalled and constituted for that purpose,” said Odur Jonathan, a Ugandan lawmaker from Erute county representing the Uganda People’s Congress.

The comments followed statements attributed to the spokesperson of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) confirming the deployment of its special forces in South Sudan to support President Salva Kiir’s government.

The circumstances surrounding the Ugandan troop deployment remain unclear. There have been no public statements explaining the reasons or the duration of the deployment. Analysts have linked the deployment to recent tensions between forces loyal to President Kiir and those of his First Vice President, Riek Machar, who leads the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO).

Forces allied to Machar have overrun Nasir town in Upper Nile State, killing numerous people, including a South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) commander.

The violence prompted Kiir’s administration to intensify a crackdown on Machar’s allies. Among those detained are the petroleum minister and several senior military officials aligned with the First Vice President. These developments have raised renewed concerns about the stability of the fragile 2018 peace agreement, which ended a devastating civil war.

Maj. Gen. Felix Kulayigye, spokesman for the Ugandan troops, confirmed the deployment, stating, “The mission is to support the government of South Sudan due to the growing insecurity in the country.”

The Ugandan chief of defence forces added: “We, the UPDF, only recognize ONE President of South Sudan, H.E. Salva Kiir. He is our ‘Afande’ even in the UPDF because he is the younger brother of Mzee [Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni]! Any move against him is a declaration of war against Uganda! All those who commit that crime will learn what it means!”