South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar has formally accused Uganda’s military of breaching the UN arms embargo by deploying armored units and conducting airstrikes in South Sudan. In a March 23 letter to the United Nations, African Union (AU), and IGAD, Machar claimed Uganda’s actions violate the 2018 peace deal that ended South Sudan’s five-year civil war.
“The Ugandan forces are currently taking part in airstrikes against civilians,” Machar had said, demanding international pressure for a Ugandan troop withdrawal.
Uganda’s parliament approved the deployment retroactively after troops entered in early March. Kampala is however, claiming it acted at the request of President Salva Kiir’s government. Tensions had escalated after South Sudanese security forces arrested Machar’s allies in March.
Ethnic Tensions Worsen as UN Warns of Return to Civil War
This current conflict risks reviving ethnic divisions between Machar’s Nuer supporters and Kiir’s Dinka-led forces. Uganda, which shares a border with oil-rich South Sudan, is worries about the mass refugee influx destabilizing its northern regions, economic fallout from neighboring conflict and regional security threats if the fighting worsens.
So far, the White Army militia has clashed with government troops in northeast South Sudan . The SPLM-IO has denied ties to the White Army but faces accusations from Juba and the UN is warning that hate speech could trigger renewed ethnic violence.
