South Sudan violence: Ugandan forces involvement is "issue of concern"

BW Latest Special Report

As battles and violence rage on in South Sudan, concern has been growing at Ugandan army involvement in the conflict. Uganda has large economic interests in South Sudan, and BW Latest understands this is one reason why the country has intervened in the conflict.

According to the Global Times, Uganda's Parliamentary committee on defence and internal affairs summoned the countries defence minister to explain 'under what circumstances the Ugandan troops were deployed in South Sudan without parliamentary approval'.

And the body which is brokering the talks between the two sides of the conflict, which has so far cost over 1,000 lives, has acknowledged that Uganda's involvement in South Sudan is a issue of concern, according to Press TV. 

It has been said that Ugandan troops have only been sent into the country to help evacuate Ugandans, and Press TV reports that officials say the forces are in South Sudan to "safeguard Juba and vital other government installations from destruction by rebels".

BW Latest has also been informed that the troops may be in the country for economic reasons; Uganda is reported to earn over two million dollars worth in tax revenues from exports to South Sudan everyday - with analysts telling us that the Ugandan troops may be securing vital trade routes,  and protecting them from being taken over by rebel forces.

The Ugandan President himself said that "Uganda has lost a lot of business in billions of Ugandan shillings" as a result of the conflict.

The Global Times adds that Uganda has 'political, military and economic strategic interests' in the country.

The South Sudanese ambassador to Uganda has been quoted as saying "Did the World want the situation to turn into a complete genocide [before] any intervention?". And Uganda's chief of Defence forces, General Katumba Walama has been quoted saying that "It was important for us to go there" adding that the South Sudanese Army "had collapsed and it was a matter of time to see another Rwanda their" - a reference to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.

According to a Ugandan military spokesperson, there is said to be intelligence that a Ugandan Rebel Group - the Lord's Resistance Army - could use the chaos in South Sudan to launch attacks on Uganda.

One analyst, speaking exclusively to BW Latest, said: "It hasn't been widely reported about Uganda's involvement in South Sudan by the World's media - and as that starts to change, a whole variety of mixed mesages are coming from the country about why it has deployed troops there. Many of those caught up in the violence, including some of the opposition rebel fighters, have voiced concern about their involvement in the conflict. I think the international community needs to look into this more, and this could be something we see drawn to attention more - the involvment of outside groups - like we have seen in Syria, as this conflict continues".

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