The leadership of the United People’s Alliance (UPA) has condemned the decision by the Government of South Sudan to invite the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to South Sudan amid tensions and conflicts in Upper Nile, Western Bhar Ghazal and Western Equatoria states.
The UPA is a coalition of the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) and the other opposition groups participating in the Kenyan government-mediated Tumaini Initiative peace talks in Nairobi and was formed in January. The alliance brought their forces under one command and Real-SPLM leader Gen. Pa’gan Amum Okiech was named its Chairperson and Commander-in-Chief.
A press release signed by UPA Secretary General and official spokesperson, Lual Dau, said South Sudan is at a critical junction where the people are rising up in order to rescue the country from the current economic, humanitarian and political crisis, and the mismanagement and looting of national resources orchestrated by the cartels dominated government of South Sudan.
“Unlike in other countries where governments value the wellbeing and security of their citizens, the ruling clique in Juba masquerading as a government has once again demonstrated that returning the country to war is intentional,” the statement reads in part. “Therefore, inviting foreign troops into South Sudan is a premeditated malicious plan to return the country to a full-out war, proving beyond any doubt that the R-ARCSS is dead and that Tumaini is the only hope for a negotiated peace.”
“The UPA calls for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from the territory of South Sudan not mandated by the UN,” the statement added.
UPA appealed to the region and the international community to urge all the neighbors of South Sudan not to exacerbate the volatile situation in the country.
The UPA again calls on all the opposition movements, political and civil society activists, and citizens to protest against the clique’s intention to use foreign troops to suppress the people and take the country back to a full-out war,” the statement concluded. “We urge the region and the international community to stand in solidarity with our people during these decisive moments.”
On Tuesday, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) and first son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba revealed on his X (formerly Twitter) handle that Ugandan troops are in South Sudan to protect President Salva Kiir and secure the capital, Juba.
Later in the day, South Sudan Information Minister Michael Makuei categorically denied that the UPDF had deployed in the country.
However, the spokesperson of the UPDF confirmed the deployment of its special forces in South Sudan to support the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
The circumstances under which the UPDF was deployed remain unclear, as there has been no public authorization by Uganda’s parliament.
In recent weeks, tensions have escalated 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).
Last week, militias allegedly loyal to Machar overran the town of Nasir in Upper Nile State, killing numerous people, including the SSPDF commander in the area.
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 brutal five-year civil war.