Dr. Riek Machar, First Vice President of the republic of South Sudan - Courtesy

First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar has called for international intervention to rescue the deteriorating security situation in South Sudan, and questions the legitimacy of Ugandan troops deployment, in a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio António Guterres.

Machar’s letter in which he copied the Commissioner of African Union Peace and Security Council Bankole Adeoye, and IGAD Chairperson Ismail Omar Guelleh, said the presence of foreign forces in South Sudan is a grave violation of the 2018 peace agreement.

“The Ugandan military entered South Sudan fully equipped with armoured and air force units in violation of UN Security Council resolution 2428 extended in May 2024 which imposed an arms embargo on South Sudan,” the letter reads.

The SPLM-IO leader said the Ugandan forces have been taking part in airstrikes against civilians in Longechuk, Nasir, and Ulang in Upper Nile State and Akobo County in Jonglei State.

This follows violent clashes in Nasir on March 4 between SSPDF and heavily armed local youths, who overran a military base and later killed an army commander and a United Nations pilot during evacuation efforts.

On March 17, the South Sudan Minister of Information confirmed that the UPDF “are currently stationed in Juba”, adding that their presence is in accordance with a longstanding military agreement between the two nations.

In a press conference, Michael Makuei explained that the military pact between South Sudan and Uganda dates back to joint operations against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and has been in effect ever since.

Meanwhile, Machar said the Ugandan army has entered the country illegally, adding that the 10th January 2014 Status of Force Agreement between both countries was not signed by the current transitional government but by the previous government.

“The agreement was not signed by the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity and as such, the Revitalized Agreement takes precedence over the status of force agreement,” the letter reads.

He further quoted articles 2.1.5 and 2.1.7 of the 2018 peace deal as stipulating that all non-South Sudanese armed groups leave the country within the pre-transitional period.

The First Vice President assessed that the revitalized agreement that ended five years of civil war, is currently faced with major setbacks and is feared to collapse due to the ongoing insecurity and presence of the Ugandan forces.

Machar called on Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni to remain an IGAD guarantor and continue to play the instrumental role of ensuring the implementation of the agreement that would lead to sustainable peace in South Sudan.

It said the existence of these forces shall impede the process of transition to democracy.

The statement calls upon the international community including AUSPC, IGAD and the UN Security Council to intervene and ask the government of the Republic of Uganda to withdraw her forces from the country.

“The R-ARCSS is faced with serious challenges. There is fear from our past that these challenges including the Ugandan intervention may lead to a collapse of the agreement.”

“We therefore impress upon AUPSC, IGAD and the UNSC to intervene and ask the government of the Republic of Uganda to withdraw her forces from the country.”

The SPLM-IO also reiterates its commitment to peace and peaceful resolutions of all the challenges hindering the country, including the R-ARCSS.