Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has met with South Sudanese officials as concerns grow over a potential resurgence of civil war following the house arrest of the country’s main opposition leader.
Museveni, a key guarantor of the 2018 peace deal that ended South Sudan’s five-year civil war, held private talks on Thursday with President Salva Kiir.
According to South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdallah Goc, the government reaffirmed its commitment to fully implement the peace agreement.
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Despite the pledge, South Sudan’s political situation remains highly volatile. Clashes between government forces and opposition-aligned armed groups have heightened tensions in recent weeks.
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Uganda recently deployed troops to South Sudan in support of the government—a move strongly criticized by the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO). Its leader, Riek Machar, is currently under house arrest, facing allegations of incitement.
In early March, an armed group loyal to Machar reportedly attacked a United Nations helicopter that was evacuating government soldiers from the troubled Upper Nile State in the north.
In response to the escalating instability, several Western nations including Germany and Norway have temporarily closed their embassies in Juba. Meanwhile, the U.S. and the U.K. have scaled back their diplomatic presence.
