Ugandan commandos in Juba — CDF Muhoozi

JUBA - Uganda has deployed its commandos aka special forces to South Sudan's capital, Juba, to help President Salva Kiir to "secure it", New Vision Online has learnt.

Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba says the operation codenamed 'Mlinzi wa Kimya' which means “The Silent Guardian” is aimed at supporting the South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF).

Muhoozi made the revelations in a post on Social Media X, formerly Twitter, on March 11, 2025.

This development follows several events in South Sudan in recent weeks, including clashes between their allied forces in the northeastern Upper Nile State, which threatened a power-sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar.

This is the second time the Ugandan army has deployed in the South Sudanese capital. The UPDF first deployed in South Sudan in December 2013 following the eruption of conflicts to, among other things, help restore peace and stability.

The most recent being a United Nations helicopter being attacked and a crew member killed on a rescue mission on Friday an event after which Sudan's president appealed for calm and pledged that his country would "not go back to war".

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said its team was attempting to extract members of the South Sudanese army from the area when their helicopter came under fire, killing a crew member and seriously injuring two others.

A South Sudanese army general and other officers were killed in the failed rescue mission, UNMISS said in a statement, saying the incident may constitute a war crime.
Kiir urged citizens to remain calm, stating: "I have said it time and again that our country will not go back to war. Let no one take law into their hands."

"The government which I lead will handle this crisis. We will remain steadfast in the path of peace," he added.

South Sudan, the world's youngest country, ended a five-year civil war in 2018 with a power-sharing agreement between bitter rivals Kiir and Machar.

But Kiir's allies have accused Machar's forces of fomenting unrest in Nasir County, Upper Nile State in league with the so-called White Army, a loose band of armed youths in the region from the same ethnic Nuer community as the vice-president.