By KT Reporter
The unpredictable situation in South Sudan’s northern UPPER Nile State has forced the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Air Force to deliver food to starving citizens.
Thousands of South Sudanese are confined in camps in northern Upper Nile State following a fierce exchange between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his 1st Vice President Riek Machar.
It is reported that President Kiir requested UPDF, to deliver food using air since ground delivery would risk both troops and civilians.
In response, the Air Force has, in the past few days, dropped hundreds of metric tonnes of emergency food aid to hard-hit areas of South Sudan’s northern Upper Nile State. Reports indicate that thousands of displaced people are currently living in famine conditions following the outbreak of armed violence in the region three months ago.
Col Chris Magezi, UPDF’s Acting Spokesperson, confirmed that the humanitarian aid deliveries provided by a coalition of international partners are airlifted by UPDAF from Juba International Airport to the Ulang and Nasir Counties of the Upper Nile state.
Fighting has pitted the government’s South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) against the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), a Nuer tribal combatant allied to Machar, currently under house arrest.
UPDF rushed to South Sudan in March after it emerged that Michar’s forces were on the verge of overthrowing Kiir’s government. The SPLA-IO, also known as the White Army, is accused of conducting widespread massacres against the rival Dinka communities and other ethnic groups in the region.
Col Magezi reechoed the Chief of Defence Forces –CDF Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s statement issued in March this year that UPDF deployed at the request of the South Sudan authorities.
According to Gen Muhoozi, UPDF deployed an expeditionary force in South Sudan to support the SSPDF in rear security operations to secure the capital Juba as well as provide other military technical assistance.
UPDF says the security situation around the greater Juba region has since stabilized, easing tensions which have since allowed foreign missions, businesses, and trade to boom again. Efforts to resolve the conflict between Kiir and Machar have so far yielded no results-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
