{UAH} Uganda to withdraw troops from South Sudan: military chief

Mar 15,2014

JINJA, Uganda, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's military chief Gen. Katumba Wamala on Friday said the East African country will withdraw its troops from neighboring South Sudan following a decision by regional leaders to deploy a stabilization force there.

Gen. Wamala told reporters here in the eastern Ugandan district of Jinja that Uganda will withdraw the troops as soon as the stabilization force is deployed.

"The time frame will depend on how soon the forces which have been tasked land on the ground. I can't put on dates, weeks. It will depend on how fast we get those troops on the ground," he said.

"What we shouldn't do and will be regrettable, if we created a vacuum. If we leave without the boots on the ground, it will create a vacuum, that vacuum is very unwelcome," he added.

Regional leaders meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Thursday authorized the prompt deployment of a Protection and Deterrent Force (PDF) in South Sudan.

Uganda deployed her troops in South Sudan in December last year in what government described as a preventive measure against a possible genocide. It also said it had deployed two battalions at the invitation of the government of South Sudan.

Uganda has been facing international pressure to pull out its troops from South Sudan with arguments that its presence may jeopardize the ongoing peace efforts.

Violence broke out in South Sudan mid December last year after soldiers loyal to former vice president Riek Machar fought government troops.

The fighting forced hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese to flee to neighboring countries.

There are ongoing talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to help end the crisis in the country that got independence in July 2011 after breaking away from Sudan.

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