The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
KAMPALA, UGANDA | Xinhua | At least four soldiers were killed on Monday during clashes between Ugandan and South Sudanese troops at a disputed border area, a Ugandan military spokesperson said here Wednesday.
Armies from Uganda Peoples’ Defense Forces (UPDF) and South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) exchanged fire at the disputed Fitina Mabaya area, located between northwest Uganda’s Yumbe District and South Sudan’s Kajo-Keji County, Felix Kulayigye, Uganda’s military spokesperson, told Xinhua by telephone.
He said one Ugandan and three South Sudanese soldiers were killed in the clashes. Kajo-Keji County government said in an earlier statement that five SSPDF soldiers were killed in the fighting.
Kulayigye said elements of the SSPDF entered Uganda and established a military detachment in contravention of the international border, leading to the clashes.
The two neighboring East African countries are yet to resolve the land dispute in the Yumbe and Moyo districts of Uganda, bordering the Kajo-Keji area of South Sudan.
Uganda and South Sudan have established a working committee to settle ongoing tensions at the border area, which have involved confrontations between UPDF patrols and South Sudanese forces and occasionally sparked diplomatic concern.
Uganda has deployed troops to South Sudan multiple times, including during the 2013 civil war and again in 2016. In March 2025, Uganda dispatched special forces to South Sudan as tensions escalated between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, which fuelled fears that the East African country could slide into civil war again. The UPDF has declared support for Kiir and warned against attempts to overthrow him. ■
