South Sudan’s First Vice President, Riek Machar, has accused neighboring Uganda of breaching a United Nations arms embargo by deploying armored units and air force personnel into South Sudan and carrying out airstrikes. In a formal letter sent to the United Nations, African Union, and IGAD, Machar alleged that Uganda’s military actions violated the 2018 peace agreement that brought an end to the country’s five-year civil war.
Machar’s accusations come amid rising tensions between him and President Salva Kiir. Earlier in March, South Sudanese security forces detained several of Machar’s senior allies following renewed clashes in the northeast between the army and the White Army militia, a group the government links to Machar. However, Machar’s SPLM-IO party denies any ties with the militia, which consists mainly of ethnic Nuer fighters who once sided with him during the country’s brutal conflict from 2013 to 2018.
Uganda has defended its intervention, claiming it deployed troops at the request of the South Sudanese government. According to Kampala, its primary concern is the potential destabilization of the region, which could lead to a massive refugee influx into Uganda from its oil-rich but volatile neighbor. Uganda’s parliament has since retroactively approved the military deployment.
In a March 23 letter verified by Machar’s office, he claimed that Ugandan forces were participating in airstrikes targeting civilians. He called for international pressure to be placed on Uganda to immediately withdraw its troops.
The situation has further deteriorated with new reports of violence and political repression. On Monday, government forces allegedly attacked SPLM-IO troops near the capital, Juba. In a related move, intelligence officers reportedly arrested four SPLM-IO officials and shut down the party’s office in Lakes State.
Fueling tensions further were inflammatory comments from Uganda’s military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba. In a now-deleted series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, Kainerugaba made derogatory statements about the Nuer ethnic group and demanded Machar bow to President Kiir. These remarks have sparked diplomatic concerns and threaten to inflame ethnic divisions in South Sudan, where fears of renewed conflict persist.
Despite requests, neither South Sudan’s military nor Uganda’s defense officials have responded to questions about the alleged embargo violations or the recent incidents on the ground.
