Uganda Vows to Begin Withdrawal of Troops From South Sudan

A spokesman for the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), Col. Paddy Ankunda, said Kampala expects to have withdrawn all of its troops in South Sudan within the next two weeks.

The UPDF also “helped to evacuate thousands of Ugandans and other foreigners” who were trapped in the midst of the fighting in South Sudan; protected strategic installations, such as airports, and the capital city, Juba; and kept the main trade route between Uganda and South Sudan open, Oryem said.

He told Radio Tamazuj that South Sudan is a sovereign state and it is free to issue its own decisions, referring to the objection by the Troika and other countries to the decision taken by President Kiir. “This is because it’s not a question of running away but a matter of organized withdrawal”.

He says that although the withdrawal cuts down on Uganda’s expenditure on the UPDF, it exposes Ugandan traders to the inhuman treatment by South Sudanese. It now has a reinforced brigade of up to 3,000 troops there. The announcement comes after global observers and supporters of former South Sudan Vice President Riek Machar voiced concerns that the presence of Ugandan forces could reignite fighting.

After another delay Kiir signed the deal on August 27, 2015, long after Machar had done so.

Kiir told the Washington Times he had signed the peace deal under pressure from the global community and said it undermined South Sudan´s sovereignty. Ugandan forces had been scheduled to leave South Sudan two days ago.

Under the agreement mediated by the regional IGAD bloc, foreign forces operating in the country were meant to start pulling troops out 45 days upon the signing of the deal.