Ugandan defence minister says troops will remain in South Sudan until
regional force takes over
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July 4, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – Foreign troops deployed to South Sudan
from neighbouring Uganda will not withdraw from the war-ravaged
country until an alternative regional force is deployed, Ugandan
defence minister said on Saturday.
JPEG - 27.3 kb
An unidentified man sits in the gun turret while leading a convoy of
armoured vehicles from both the South Sudanese government forces and
the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) in the streets of Jonglei
capital Bor on 19 January 2014 (Photo: AP/Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin)
Defence minister Crispus Kiyonga reiterated that their forces were
invited by president Salva Kiir’s government to help it fight the
armed opposition forces led by former vice president, Riek Machar, in
order to save the leadership from collapse and prevent a genocide from
occurring.
“We deployed a force to South Sudan whose government invited us to do
so and we prevented genocide,” Kiyonga told Anadolu Agency after a
meeting between Ethiopian and Ugandan ministers in Addis Ababa.
“We will withdraw from South Sudan as soon as the IGAD
(Intergovernmental Authority on Development) Deterrent Force deploys.
If invited we will be part of the IGAD force,” he added.
He expressed hope that very soon the East African stand-by force will
be ready for deployment in South Sudan in order to fill the vacuum.
Uganda said it was the reason president Kiir’s government has remained
in power otherwise the rebel forces would have captured Juba since
January 2014, just one month after the crisis erupted on 15 December
2013.
Rebel forces were advancing speedily after they captured Jonglei
state’s capital, Bor, in that January and successfully matched 110km
towards the national capital, Juba. But the ill-equipped rebel
fighters were stopped at 90km away from Juba by thousands of Ugandan
forces backed by tanks, other armoured vehicles and helicopter
gunships.
Ugandan troops for the past 18 months of the war have been on the
ground in South Sudan and are still in charge of Juba’s security
including its airport as well as Bor in Jonglei state. They also
provide air cover for the South Sudanese army (SPLA) in other states
of the oil-rich greater Upper Nile region.
While the southern neighbour insisted that its forces were invited
into the war theatre by the South Sudanese government, both nations’
national parliaments had not deliberated on or endorsed such an action
prior to the deployments, hinting that it was a confidential agreement
between president Kiir and Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni.
However, the two defence ministers, Kiyonga of Uganda and Kuol Manyang
Juuk of South Sudan afterwards signed a backup agreement on military
cooperation. The agreement endorsed the continued presence of Ugandan
troops on South Sudan’s soil as well as acquisition of weaponry as
Kampala would be purchasing weapons on behalf of Juba.
South Sudanese opposition faction led by Machar on the other hand has
been demanding withdrawal of the Ugandan troops from South Sudan’s
territory, accusing Kampala of military interference in the internal
conflict. They also said their presence on the ground was an
impediment to peace as it allegedly encouraged president Kiir’s
government to continue with intransigence against progress in the
IGAD-led peace process.
South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, has been
wrecked by fighting that has killed thousands and forced more than 2
million to flee their homes since December 2013.
Talks are expected to resume this July in the Ethiopian capital, Addis
Ababa, to try to reach a negotiated political settlement to end the
war.
(ST)
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Kind regards,
The Sudan Tribune editorial team.
5 July 07:51, by Eastern
Kiir started a war he can’t fight single hadedly and he invited
Museveni to give him a hand and the latter joined blindly and the war
is now draining the economies of the two countries to the last penny,
cry the beloved country!
repondre message
5 July 09:39, by Malakal county Simon
Juba crumble government could have been a history since early
January 2014 prior to started of this senseless war, imposed on
reformist. But the rushed involvement of Uganda (UPDF) proved that’s
Dinka tribal army, is too weak to face Nuer soldiers in front-lines
without their help........ But soon things will be different.......
stay tunes and aluta continue......
repondre message
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