South Sudan confirms presence of Ugandan troops, citing military pact
March 17, 2025 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s government confirmed the presence of Ugandan troops in the country on Monday, citing a military agreement between the two nations for technical support, training, and maintaining peace and stability.
Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth told a news conference that the government acknowledged the presence of Ugandan troops to dispel rumours circulating in the media and other sources.
“One of the reasons I called this press conference is to update you about the general situation, and one of them is the presence of the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). It is present here in Juba, and you have seen it,” Lueth, the government spokesman, said.
Lueth, a long-time ally of President Salva Kiir, justified the presence of Ugandan troops despite provisions in the 2018 revitalized peace agreement that calls for the country to be free of foreign forces.
“Why is it present here in Juba? They are present because the government of Uganda and the government of South Sudan have a military pact that dates back to the time of the Lord’s Resistance Army,” he said. “This is the same pact which is continuing. We have not nullified it, but we use it when necessary. So, the UPDF that arrived here in Juba are the support and technical units. They have come to support their brothers and sisters in the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF).”
He said the presence of Ugandan troops was no longer a secret, even though it should have been confidential for security reasons.
“I am saying this because it is not a secret anymore… Yes, it was supposed to be a secret in terms of security. In terms of cooperation between the two armies, it was supposed to be confidential, but because of the media these days, people are just throwing everything in the air… we had to bring it here so that you do not talk about it again… The UPDF is here in South Sudan,” Lueth said.
The announcement follows recent statements by the UPDF chief and spokesman that they had deployed troops to South Sudan to protect President Salva Kiir.
On March 17, 2025, a sizable contingent of Ugandan troops crossed into South Sudan through Nimule en route to the capital, Juba. The deployment has raised concerns that the 2018 peace agreement could unravel following clashes between the South Sudanese army and an armed youth group, often referred to as the “White Army,” which some analysts link to First Vice President Riek Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO).
The 2018 peace agreement calls for reforms in the defence and security sectors, urging the parties to prioritize joint training, arming, and deployment of forces as the country’s new army. This arrangement remains a challenge, as the two sides have not completed the training and deployment of the second batch of unified forces.