Uganda’s evacuation bid in South Sudan
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A HEAVILY-ARMED Ugandan military convoy crossed into South Sudan yesterday to evacuate citizens trapped in the capital Juba as fears persist that days of fierce fighting might reignite despite a ceasefire.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir called on arch-rival Riek Machar to meet for talks to salvage peace.
“I don’t want any more bloodshed in South Sudan,” Kiir said.
Kiir spoke in public for the first time at the bullet-scarred presidential palace where four days of fighting erupted on Friday, standing alongside ceasefire monitoring chief Festus Mogae, a former Botswanan president, and African Union special envoy Alpha Oumar Konare, a former president of Mali.
Earlier yesterday, a convoy of around 50 Ugandan trucks escorted by machine gun-mounted armored vehicles crossed the border at Nimule to open up a secure corridor for fleeing civilians on the 200 kilometer Juba-Nimule road.
Uganda’s army chief Brigadier Leopold Kyanda said the mission involving 2,000 soldiers would likely last “two to three days” but an intelligence officer said some troops may remain in Juba.
“Why not? We have the capacity to support the government of South Sudan and we were there before,” said the officer accompanying the convoy.
The Ugandan army joined the conflict in South Sudan soon after it began in December 2013, fighting on Kiir’s side against a rebel force led by Machar, now the country’s vice president. The troops only pulled-out late last year.
While the situation remained calm in Juba, concerns remain that fighting might flare once again.
“The current situation in the country remains fluid and uncertain,” UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told the UN Security Council late on Wednesday.
Four days of intense battles left hundreds dead and forced around 40,000 to flee their homes. Aid agencies are warning of a worsening humanitarian crisis with a lack of both water and food.
The recent violence in the capital echoed the fighting that triggered the civil war and marks a fresh blow to last year’s deal to end the bitter conflict that began when Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup. Kiir is a member of the Dinka tribe, while Machar is a Nuer, and the dispute has split the country on ethnic lines.
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