On December 19, 2013, the Ugandan army leadership deployed troops -- whose actual number they remain tightlipped about -- only four days after conflict broke out in the capital Juba and quickly spread to the northeastern states of Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile.
The UPDF soldiers were credited with holding back Dr Machar's forces and thus forcing him to the negotiating table. His insistence that Uganda should withdraw its soldiers for substantive talks to proceed lends credence to this view. But, Uganda's decision to back President Kiir, whose manner of governing has elicited widespread criticism, has stripped the country of its neutrality, according to some observers. Moreover, they add, President Kiir's apparent inability to hold power on his own means President Museveni will have to subsidise his security and his government's defence for quite some time. This poses several inherent risks. For one, there is the temptation to get involved in next year's elections, one way or another. Besides, a long stay attracts all manner of allegations and accusations, especially now that the Ugandan army is involved in combat where property and life are being destroyed. A $10 billion fine hangs over the country's neck following its forays into DR Congo, where the International Court of Justice accused it of plundering and looting natural resources. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14orU3L7O_xPLReVa0JaPKxDGBuAv34GtgPvtqug827-mBA%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
