Ugandan troops (UPDF) in South Sudan’s Jonglei State are withdrawing as announced last week. The withdrawal of the Ugandan troops is required under the terms of South Sudan's recent peace agreement.

Allan Mugume, UDPF information personnel told Radio Tamazuj that the soldiers are excited to be leaving as they have spent a lot without seeing their families back in Uganda.

“Yes, we are going to leave South Sudan, that is the truth and already the first trip has been taken and the second trip will be taken soon from now,” Mugume said. He was speaking after the cancellation of a farewell party that was called off for untold reasons. A first convoy was already seen leaving Bor last week and are leaving this week.

Another Ugandan soldier who declined to be named said, “We have really done a very big job to President Salva Kiir and the entire people of South Sudan but they are not appreciating us for that.”

He said they were expecting Kiir’s government to have provided them with allowances on top of their salaries but they did not get anything. “But I don’t know maybe they have been giving our commanders some money and that money was used to buy food for us, I don’t know!” he stressed.

Earlier reports suggested that the Ugandan force in Jonglei was about the size of a battalion.

According to South Sudan's new peace agreement, which Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni signed as guarantor, the deadline for completion of UPDF withdrawal from Jonglei was 10 October, but the Ugandan government announced the beginning of the withdrawal only after that date.

At a press conference in Uganda last week, a top army commander said the withdrawal would be completed in November. It was not disclosed what prevented them from withdrawing by the scheduled time.