Uganda accused of secretly sending troops to South Sudan

Maiwut/Kampala, April 17, 2018 (SSNA) — The President of Uganda has been accused of covertly sending troops to South Sudan to resume fighting alongside South Sudan’s government forces against the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO), an officer with the armed opposition said.

Rebels disclosed that Ugandan soldiers are already in Bentiu and warned that more troops should arrive in other locations within days or weeks to help Juba fight against the SPLA-IO

“We have solid information that Ugandan soldiers are now in Bentiu area,” Khamis Mawwil, an officer with the SPLA-IO intelligence branch told the South Sudan News Agency (SSNA) in Maiwut.

Khamis claims that the armed opposition has a good number of intelligence operatives in Uganda and that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered the return of Ugandan troops to the war-torn young nation.

“Uganda’s leader ordered the deployment of his troops to South Sudan, there is no question about that,” Khamis charged. “We will crush them if they don’t want peace,” he vowed.

The accusation comes barely a day after a leaked document shows that the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) suspended the upcoming peace revitalization talks scheduled to resume on April 26. The South Sudan News Agency obtained a document which shows that the East African regional bloc, IGAD, has rescheduled the negotiations for May 2.

Khamis also accused Uganda of frustrating the peace process, saying Museveni is the one behind many postponements of the resumption of the peace talks. He asserted that Kampala and Juba are using “delaying tactics” in an attempt to pursue “fighting against the SPLA-IO.” Khamis refuses to provide SSNA with evidence, simply saying “it is sensitive.”

Last month, South Sudanese rebels accused Uganda of massing troops along South Sudan border.

SSNA’ attempts to reach the office of the SPLA-IO Spokesman for a comment were unsuccessful.