Ugandan army Chief of Defense Forces General Katumba Wamala has appeared before the parliament to explain why the UPDF failed to rescue all Ugandans trapped in the conflict in South Sudan.

Last month, the Ugandan People’s Defense Forces rescued thousands of Ugandans, majority of whom were traders who had assembled in Nisitu as part of the rescue plan.

But the force has been criticized for only rescuing Ugandans who were in the capital Juba, ignoring those who were stuck in the far off areas like Bor in Jonglei State.

Kampala FM reported that General Wamala was summoned by a parliamentary committee to answer questions from lawmakers.

While appearing before parliament’s committee on Defence and Internal Affairs chaired by Mityana Woman MP Judith Nabakooba, General Wamala explained that Uganda has no capacity to rescue civilians under intense fighting since it has no mandate for deployment in South Sudan.

Violence that broke out in Juba last month forced many Ugandans who were living in Juba to flee the country for safety.