Parliament has approved the deployment of Uganda troops in South Sudan

By Christopher Kiiza, KAMPALA Uganda

Parliament of Uganda has on Thursday approved the government’s decision to deploy the national army, the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF), to South Sudan.

The UPDF was deployed to South Sudan weeks ago without authorization from Parliament, which is illegal.

South Sudan is on the verge of entering a fresh war. The security situation in the country remains fragile, with flagrant violations of the Revitalized Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) signed in 2018.

Over two weeks ago, security forces in South Sudan arrested the deputy army chief and two ministers, all allies of the Vice President, Riek Machar, a move an opposition spokesperson condemned as a “grave violation” of the peace agreement.

The arrests followed clashes in Upper Nile state between government troops and the White Army militia, which had previously fought alongside Machar during the civil war that erupted in 2013 after a political dispute between him and President Salva Kiir.

The conflict led to intense fighting in Juba, with Kiir accusing Machar of attempting a coup—a claim Machar denied.

Following the incidents, the Ugandan government sent troops to Juba without the approval of Parliament.

Today, the Minister of Defense, Jacob Oboth Oboth, presented a motion to Parliament to support the deployment of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces to South Sudan.

Oboth Oboth said that the Ugandan military was deployed under the Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation and the state of forces agreement between Uganda and South Sudan.

Section 49 of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces Act provides that where UPDF troops are to be deployed outside Uganda on a multilateral or bilateral arrangement with other countries, the Minister of Defense shall enter into a state of forces agreement with the host country or organization.

Oboth Oboth told Parliament that on January 10, 2014, Uganda, in accordance with Section 39 of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces Act, entered into a memorandum of standing on defense cooperation and the state of forces agreement with South Sudan, relating to the deployment of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces on the territory of South Sudan.

He added that there is a security-related development in South Sudan that is “likely to result in serious, negative security implications for Uganda and has the potential to create a ripple effect on the economic, social, and political stability of Uganda, the region, and Africa at large.”

The minister also informed lawmakers that on March 10, 2025, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation and the state of the forces agreement, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir requested his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, for urgent military support in order to avert a potential security catastrophe in South Sudan.

“Following the request by His Excellency Salvar Kiir, His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Uganda, has, in accordance with Article 98(1) of the Constitution and Section 49 1b, 38 1b, and 49 of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces Act, deployed the Uganda People’s Defense Forces in the Republic of South Sudan in order to avert a security catastrophe in the region,” Oboth Oboth said.