In a special sitting, Ugandan lawmakers have backed the government’s decision to deploy the national army (UPDF) in South Sudan.
The official endorsement from Uganda’s parliament comes despite the United Nations Security Council warning against external interventions that could exacerbate the conflict.
Rebecca Kadaga, the speaker of the Ugandan parliament said the sitting was convened to update lawmakers on the deployment of the UPDF in Juba, but not to seek their approval on the matter as many had anticipated.
Several lawmakers, during a heated debate, said they supported UPDF presence in South Sudan provided they were there to ensure safety of Ugandans trapped in the weeks of violence.
The UPDF’s presence in South Sudan has always been under the premise that it is only there to evacuate and protect Ugandan civilians.
However countless eyewitness reports attest that UPDF troops are heavily engaged in active combat operations across the country.
Muwanga Kivumbi, an opposition lawmaker, accused President Yoweri Museveni of taking decisions without seeking parliamentary approval on matters of national interests.
“We want to know what kind of mandate the UPDF of Uganda in South Sudan will undertake and under whose invitation. Is it IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority on Development] or the African Union? ...Or are we are there as mercenaries to help Salva Kiir. We need to know these details”, said Kivumbi.