A United Nations human rights investigation has accused Uganda of supporting South Sudanese government forces in airstrikes that allegedly killed and injured civilians during military operations in 2025, claims that Uganda has strongly denied.
According to a report released on February 27, 2026, by the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, joint operations by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and Ugandan troops targeted areas largely populated by the Nuer ethnic group, which is widely associated with opposition leader Riek Machar.
The report alleges that the attacks involved aerial bombardments and the use of improvised incendiary devices, sometimes described as barrel bombs, which destroyed homes and caused severe burns among civilians. Witnesses cited in the investigation said aircraft dropped containers of flammable liquid that ignited on impact during a strike in March 2025 near Wunaliet, about 15 kilometres from the capital, Juba.
Escalating tensions in South Sudan
The UN findings come amid renewed instability in South Sudan as government forces battle armed groups linked to Machar, who has faced charges including treason following renewed clashes. The conflict has raised fears that the fragile 2018 peace agreement that ended the country’s civil war could collapse.
Ugandan troops were deployed to South Sudan in early 2025 to support the government of President Salva Kiir under a bilateral security agreement between the two countries. The deployment followed a militia attack on a military garrison near the Ethiopian border and growing fears of a return to widespread conflict.
The UN report suggested that the operations demonstrated “high degrees of planning and operational integration” between the two armies, although it did not specify the exact number of airstrikes in which Ugandan forces were involved.
Uganda rejects allegations
Uganda’s military has dismissed the UN findings as incomplete and biased.
In a statement responding to the report, acting Director of Defence Public Information Col. Chris Magezi said the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) were deployed legally at the invitation of the South Sudanese government and with approval from Uganda’s Parliament.
“The current UPDF operation in South Sudan is completely legitimate,” Magezi said, adding that Ugandan forces have never targeted civilians in their operations.
The army maintained that its mission, known as Operation Mlinzi wa Kimya, is aimed at stabilising South Sudan, protecting key infrastructure and preventing a collapse of the government in Juba.
International reaction
The allegations have triggered criticism from some international leaders. U.S. Senator Jim Risch, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the findings should prompt a reassessment of relations with Uganda, accusing the country of becoming an “exporter of brutality.”
Human rights groups have also warned that continued military operations and reported violations of international humanitarian law could worsen the already dire human rights situation in South Sudan.
The UN commission’s report underscores growing concern that renewed fighting and military escalation could derail South Sudan’s fragile peace process and further endanger civilians ahead of planned elections.
