Ugandan leaders have pushed back at a recent US government statement urging them to withdraw troops from South Sudan, saying they will not do so.
“Uganda will not withdraw its troops from South Sudan as demanded by the US government,” Daily Monitor reported on Monday, citing military and foreign affairs officials in Kampala.
American diplomats had urged the withdrawal of the Ugandan People’s Defense Force from South Sudan, saying their involvement complicated the conflict. In a statement on the weekend the US State Department said, “We urge the redeployment or phased withdrawal of foreign forces invited by either side.”
The US statement also warned of “the serious consequences which could result from any regionalization of this conflict.”
Whereas the statement did not directly mention Uganda, the UPDF is currently the only foreign force deployed in South Sudan, fighting alongside troops loyal to President Salva Kiir.
The Ugandan army spokesperson yesterday said they would not run away from the conflict. “We went to help South Sudanese people when everybody else ran away. Now here they are giving us orders,” Lt Col Paddy Ankunda told Daily Monitor in reaction to the US statement.
Through the Twitter handle @defenceuganda, the spokesman also on Monday stated, “What if violence rolls back into Bor, Juba after UPDF withdraw, will the US be there to help?”
On Sunday also he had pointed out that Bor town changed hands four times, suggesting a withdrawal would put the town in jeopardy once again.
President Yoweri Museveni’s spokesman Tamale Mirundi likewise criticized the US statement as “just an opinion.” He noted that the Ugandan president’s decision to deploy troops in South Sudan was endorsed by the parliament.
New Vision newspaper in Kampala last week reported the governments of Uganda and South Sudan agreed to carry out periodic reviews that will determine whether the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) remains or pulls out of the war-torn country.
Speaking from his base in Juba, the commander of the UPDF Joint Task Force in South Sudan, Col. Muhanga Kayanja, said the review will be held after three months to evaluate the progress on the ground.
“We will want to assess the progress and see whether the threats still exist,” Kayanja said, adding that the findings will determine whether the army continues to stay in South Sudan or not.
UPDF moved into South Sudan in late December and reinforced its presence more heavily in early January. They were involved primarily in fighting on the Bor front, though reportedly also elsewhere.
Related coverage: Major role for Ugandan army in South Sudan ‘until the country is stable’ (31 Jan.)