At least six South Sudanese security personnel were killed in deadly clashes with Ugandan forces near the countries’ shared border this week.
The confrontation erupted Monday in Kajo Keji County, Central Equatoria State, though the cause remains unclear, according to both governments.
Uganda confirmed the death of one of its soldiers, blaming South Sudanese troops for crossing into Ugandan territory, sparking the firefight.
South Sudan’s army claimed Ugandan forces, heavily armed with tanks and artillery, attacked a 19-member joint patrol unit without provocation.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos, with Ugandan soldiers reportedly using armoured vehicles and rocket-propelled grenades during the assault.
Local resident Leju Champlain said civilians fled in panic, with many still searching for missing family members in the aftermath.
Chief Erasto Tumiya suggested the violence followed a separate attack by unidentified assailants, later misinterpreted by Ugandan troops as aggression.
The violence has displaced scores of civilians, many now seeking shelter in schools and churches in Bori Boma amid rising fears.
Bishop James Lule called the situation “truly desperate” and urged both nations to cooperate to avoid further bloodshed and civilian suffering.
Uganda has long backed South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, first intervening during the 2013 civil war to prop up his regime.
That war, fought against Kiir’s rival Riek Machar, killed around 400,000 people before a fragile peace deal was signed in 2018.
Tensions surged again in March when Uganda deployed special forces, following renewed crackdowns on Machar and his Nuer loyalists.
Local media accuse Ugandan troops of using chemical barrel bombs against Nuer militias in South Sudan’s northeast, charges Kampala denies.
The incident underscores the fragile security along the border and growing instability threatening South Sudan’s troubled post-war transition.
