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Opposition group led by Dr. Riek Machar urges international community to sanction Uganda and demand withdrawal of its troops from South Sudan
South Sudan’s biggest opposition group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), is blaming Uganda for interfering in South Sudan’s internal matters and making the country’s situation more unstable. The SPLM-IO is led by Dr. Riek Machar, who is also South Sudan’s First Vice President.
Pal Mai Deng, the group’s spokesperson and Minister of Irrigation, released a statement saying that Ugandan soldiers currently in South Sudan are not helping but are instead adding to the problems. According to him, Uganda’s involvement has made South Sudan’s political and security situation worse.
“Uganda is responsible for many of the problems we are facing,” Deng said. “They are not only causing political confusion, but their soldiers, along with government forces in South Sudan, have also committed serious crimes during the conflict.”
He called these crimes “war atrocities” and said they have caused a lot of suffering for the South Sudanese people.
Deng also criticized the international community and regional leaders for not doing enough to solve the crisis. He believes they are focusing too much on the South Sudanese government, led by President Salva Kiir, and ignoring Uganda’s role in the conflict.
He explained that efforts to rescue SPLM-IO leaders—especially Dr. Riek Machar—have failed because the real issue is being overlooked. “The peace agreement signed in 2018 is now at risk of falling apart,” he warned. “This is partly because Uganda’s involvement hasn’t been dealt with properly.”
Deng compared the situation to treating the wrong illness. “Trying to fix South Sudan by only pressuring President Kiir’s government, and not addressing what Uganda is doing, is like treating a wound that isn’t there,” he said.
He accused top Ugandan political and military leaders of committing war crimes and violating human rights inside South Sudan. According to Deng, these leaders are worsening the conflict by supporting one side and using their military to influence South Sudan’s internal politics.
“Uganda should stop interfering and let the people of South Sudan decide for themselves who should lead them,” he said.
Deng also made a strong appeal to the international community. He wants countries and organizations around the world to impose sanctions on Uganda. He also called for an arms embargo, which would stop the flow of weapons into Uganda that could be used in South Sudan.
“We are asking the world to take action,” he said. “Sanction Uganda, stop supplying them with arms, and demand that they pull their troops out of South Sudan.”
He added that the arrest of Dr. Riek Machar and other SPLM-IO leaders seems to have been influenced by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni. He believes Uganda played a big role in their detention and now must help release them.
“It is clear that Uganda had something to do with the arrest of Dr. Riek Machar,” Deng said. “We are asking the international community to pressure Uganda to release him and other political leaders who are being held.”
Deng ended his message by urging global and regional leaders to take Uganda’s actions seriously and treat them as a major reason why peace is still hard to achieve in South Sudan.
He warned that unless Uganda is held accountable, peace efforts could completely collapse, and the country could return to full conflict. “It’s time the world stopped ignoring Uganda’s role and helped South Sudan move toward true peace and stability,” he concluded.