Uganda has rejected demands by South Sudan’s former Vice President Riak Machar, as and members of his own parliament in Kampala, that the Ugandan military should withdraw its troops from South Sudan.
“We will not pull out our troops because we are in South Sudan at the request of the legitimate South Sudanese government to evacuate Ugandan civilians who are trapped there,” said government spokesman Ofwono Opondo.
"(Ugandan troops) are in South Sudan and notably protect Juba Airport and key government facilities, but we are not involved in any fighting.” he added.
However, countless eyewitness reports across the country allege Ugandan forces are actively engaged in combat operations, including supplying armed air assets such as helicopter gunships.
Uganda is widely suspected of fighting alongside forces loyal to President Kiir.
For the first time two Ugandan military sources that spoke to an international news agency, on condition of anonymity, revealed that Uganda is deeply involved in South Sudan’s military conflict.
"In Bor, our boys have been backing up the SPLA in the latest push to retake it", a Ugandan military officer said."Our MiGs [warplanes] conducted two bombings there (on Thursday)", the officer added.
The new revelation over Kampala's involvement in Juba's affairs could strengthen rebels' claims, which up until now have fallen on deaf ears.
In a related development the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has strongly cautioned against “external” interventions that could exacerbate nearly a month of military and political tensions in South Sudan. The world body does not, however, mention any specific country but analysts believe it is the first sign of finger pointing by the UNSC towards Uganda’s military involvement.
Sources close to the rebel delegation currently in negotiations facilitated by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Addis Ababa, say that Ugandan military intervention in South Sudan risks slowing down the peace process.
Forces loyal to former Vice President Machar are not happy that Uganda, a member of IGAD, has deployed troops in South Sudan and rebel negotiators are expected to raise the issue during negotiations, and might insist that Uganda withdraw its forces before any signing ceasefire agreement.
Regional mediators from IGAD arrived in South Sudan on Saturday after ongoing peace talks in the Ethiopian capital stalled.
No information from the visit has been made public.
