Amnesty International has called on the United Nations Security Council to renew and enforce its arms embargo on South Sudan, citing a serious violation involving the recent unauthorized deployment of Ugandan troops and military equipment.
The human rights watchdog referenced verified video evidence showing Ugandan forces, including tanks and armored personnel carriers, arriving in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, on March 17. According to Amnesty, this deployment—carried out without the Security Council’s knowledge or approval—violates the terms of the existing arms embargo, which is due to expire on May 31.
Uganda’s Parliament confirmed that its military, the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), entered South Sudan earlier this year at the request of President Salva Kiir, following violent clashes in Upper Nile State. Ugandan officials framed the intervention as a stabilizing measure. However, Amnesty argues that the deployment remains illegitimate without prior UN authorization.
“The arms embargo is not perfect, but without it, the situation would be much worse,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. “Now is not the time to allow more weapons into the conflict.”
Amnesty also voiced concern over recent reports that the South Sudanese military has resumed use of attack helicopters that were previously believed to be non-operational. This raises suspicions that embargoed spare parts may have been acquired through illicit channels. One such helicopter was allegedly used in an attack on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in May, killing seven people.
As of now, the UPDF has not responded publicly to the allegations, AFP reports.
South Sudan remains mired in political instability, with ongoing tension between President Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar fueling intermittent outbreaks of violence, despite the 2018 peace accord that officially ended the country’s devastating five-year civil war.
