SPLM-IO diplomat says two specialized battalions of UPDF still in South Sudan
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
November 21, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – A senior official of the South Sudan’s armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) said on Friday that some forces of the Ugandan People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) have remained in South Sudan, disguised as civilians despite the order to withdraw from the country.
“There still remain Two Specialized battalions of the UPDF deployed in South Sudan,” Kleto said, citing to a report his office obtained from a former Ugandan ex-intelligence agent who has turned himself against president Yoweri Museveni.
The Ugandan government previously said it will completely withdraw all its forces by the end of October after over 20 months long deployment in the neighboring South Sudan.
The opposition official said some of the UPDF forces are mixed with SPLA special division and in hidden sites in an attempt to avoid being seen by the public and international community.
Others, he added, are given fake business licensees to pretend like businessmen and are in Juba and its surroundings, but disguised in civilian clothes and pretending as businesspersons.
The former Ugandan intelligence agent who preferred anonymity alleged that currently there are some 1,400 Ugandan forces in Juba operating under Kiir’s administration special assignment dressed with civilian dress.
He alleged that Ugandan and South Sudanese governments have sealed a deal that the Ugandan forces will remain in South Sudan as civilians in case of eventuality if the peace agreement fails.
“The sealed deal is to lure the rebels in Juba and then create a war through trick in order to murder all rebel leaders at once,” said Kleto, citing the Ugandan officer as a source.
The Ugandan ex-intelligence agent further alleged that the UPDF remnants are special assassins tasked to assassinate Machar-led political and military leaders while strategizing ways on how to create a fake war inside Juba to carry out the job.
He further alleged that President Kiir and his Ugandan counterpart Museveni had been discussing on the matter for the past 8 months along with their respective top military officials and intelligence chiefs.
Kleto said the deal that was sealed in Uganda between the two countries is “full of ill-intention” and warned it could lead to a further worst bloodbath in the country, if left unchecked.
He called upon government of the United Republic of Tanzania, the IGAD plus, UN, AU, EU, Russia, China and the entire world to condemn and further take an immediate action in order to end the suffering of the people.
“I call specifically on IGAD plus to be serious about this matter, the agreement has been violated already and I see no action has been taken except condemnation which in reality does not translate to any concrete change,” the opposition diplomat said.
“It is high time for the world now to take action against violators of the peace agreement to prevent the country from sliding back into an all-out war and also to take serious steps against the government of Uganda.”
Uganda deployed thousands of troops into South Sudan in support of president Kiir shortly after the conflict erupted in December 2013.
The nearly two year-long conflict in the world’s youngest nation has left tens of thousands of people dead and forced about 2 million to flee their homes.
The peace agreement signed in August between the warring parties called on the Ugandan troops to withdraw from South Sudan within 45 days from the date of the signature of the accord.
(ST)