Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Uganda People’s Defence Air Force (UPDAF) has in the past few days airdropped hundreds of metric tonnes in emergency food aid to hard-hit areas of South Sudan’s northern Upper Nile State where thousands of displaced people are currently living in famine conditions following the outbreak of armed violence in the region earlier this year.
Ugandan forces have been launching barrel bombs at communities in parts of northeastern Upper Nile State since self-defense forces, known as the White Army, overran a military base in the area in March. It has also bombed bases belonging to Machar’s SPLM-IO movement near Juba.
A press statement from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces’ Department of Defence Public Information on Thursday announced that humanitarian aid deliveries provided by a coalition of international partners were airlifted by UPDAF from Juba International Airport to the Ulang and Nasir Counties of Upper Nile State.
“Since March 2025, fighting has pitted the government’s South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) against the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), a Nuer tribal militia group that is allied to incarcerated 1st Vice President of South Sudan Dr Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon,” the statement signed by Col. Chris Magezi, Acting Director of Defence Public Information, read in part. “The SPLA-IO, also known as the White Army, is accused of conducting widespread massacres against the rival Dinka communities and other ethnic groups in the region.”
“The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), at the request of South Sudan authorities, deployed an expeditionary force to the country in March 2025, helping to support the SSPDF in rear security operations to secure the capital Juba as well as provide other military technical assistance,” the statement added.
According to Col. Magezi, the security situation around the greater Juba region has since stabilized, easing tensions which have since allowed foreign missions, businesses, and trade to boom again.
Mach Duol Gatluak, head of Nasir County’s humanitarian commission, told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that urgent aid had been distributed but warned that displaced people from 15 nearby villages had overwhelmed supplies.
“Many civilians are sheltering under trees while awaiting additional assistance,” he said, adding that more airdrops are expected in coming days.
Gatluak dismissed rumors that the aid was poisoned, saying he and his team publicly prepared and ate a meal from the supplies to prove their safety. He also denied military involvement in distribution, stating, “The army has its own rations and does not need these supplies.”
Local sources in Nasir reported some villagers have begun returning home. However, challenges remain for displaced people coming from Ethiopia, where some allege harassment by groups tied to the opposition SPLA-IO.
Commercial activity in Nasir remains stalled due to a blockade in the border town of Burebiey, where some traders say they are barred from bringing goods into Nasir.
SPLA-IO officials in the area could not immediately be reached for comment.
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