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At least five South Sudan security personnel were killed earlier this week in clashes with the Ugandan army near the shared border, local officials confirmed on Wednesday.
The exact trigger for Monday’s fighting between the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and South Sudanese People’s Defence Force (SSPDF) in Central Equatoria State remains unclear.
Authorities in Kajo Keji county, where the clashes occurred, reported that “two SSPDF officers, two prison officers, and a police officer” died.
Local army commander Henry Buri stated that Ugandan forces were “heavily armed with tanks and artillery” and targeted 19 “joint operation” forces. There has been no comment from the Ugandan government regarding the incident, although an earlier statement from local county officials mentioned “loss of lives and injuries from both sides.”
Uganda has a history of military involvement in South Sudan, having consistently supported President Salva Kiir. This includes deploying troops during the 2013 civil war, which erupted just two years after South Sudan gained independence, and again sending special forces in March of this year as Kiir moved against his rival, Riek Machar.
This recent deployment effectively undermined a 2018 power-sharing deal and reignited conflict between the army and militias from Machar’s ethnic Nuer community.
The Ugandan army has faced accusations of using chemical weapons, specifically barrel bombs with flammable liquid, against Nuer militias in South Sudan’s northeast, though Uganda denies these claims.
