Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) has deployed in South Sudan to help the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit, in the current crisis the Chief of Defense Forces-CDF Muhoozi Kainerugaba has revealed.

In his latest Video post on his social platform X, Muhoozi says the UPDF Commandos arriving in Juba are supporting the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) in the Operation ‘Mlinziwa Kimya’ has begun.

The video showed soldiers disembarking from a civilian aircraft carrying guns.

It is not yet known when this video was taken. But the deployment of UPDF to South Sudan again speaks of the deteriorating political and security crisis in Africa’s youngest country that gained independence in 2011. 

UPDF was deployed in South Sudan in 2013 without parliamentary authorization to help save the government of Kiir that had nearly been overthrown by forces loyal to his then former vice President, Riek Machar.

Last week, militias that are said to be loyal to Machar overrun the town of Nasir in the north of the country bordering Sudan, killing many people, including a South Sudan People’s Defense Forces commander in the region before the reported renewed fighting between the Malakal and Bentiu, both of which are occupied by the ethnic Nuer, the tribe from which Machar comes.

Fighting has also been reported in the Bar el Ghazal region, which is home to Kiir’s Dinka tribe. 

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