Region | Sudan
South Sudan tells Ugandan troops to quit its territory
South Sudan ordered Ugandan troops to leave its territory on Monday, saying it wanted to avoid "mistakes" as soldiers hunted rebels from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
- Reuters
- Published: 20:49 June 30, 2008
Juba: South Sudan ordered Ugandan troops to leave its territory on Monday, saying it wanted to avoid "mistakes" as soldiers hunted rebels from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
"The government of southern Sudan will not allow the UPDF to make military operations [against] the LRA in southern Sudan territories," south Sudan's Vice-President Riek Machar said. "If there are any forces in Sudan that are UPDF, these should move back to Ugandan territory."
Machar said the decision was taken to avoid "mistakes of the past", adding Ugandan soldiers had abducted and killed a south Sudanese man during anti-LRA operations this month.
"If the option to fight the LRA is going to be made, (south Sudan) can handle this on its own," Machar said.
Uganda, which has had troops pursuing LRA forces in southern Sudan since 2002, said it would keep its soldiers there to stop the rebels returning to neighbouring northern Uganda and threatening its national security.
Uganda's military spokesman, Major Paddy Ankunda, said his government had received no formal communication telling its soldiers to leave.
"We have troops in southern Sudan under an arrangement with the government there, because the threat by LRA rebels still exists," he said.
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