UPDF peace mission delivers medical aid to South Sudan

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Medical professionals from the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), operating under Operation ‘Mlinzi wa Kimya’ in South Sudan, have conducted a medical camp in Juba, providing essential healthcare services to the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) personnel and local civilians.

The team, led by Lt Col. Dr Joseph Mwesige, a senior consultant surgeon with the UPDF Joint Task Force, over the weekend addressed a range of medical needs.

These included performing successful surgical procedures for: goitre, prostatectomy, hernia, haemorrhoids, and various abdominal conditions.

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Lt Col. Dr Mwesige expressed appreciation to President Yoweri Museveni and the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba for their steadfast support, which he said facilitated the delivery of critical medical services.

Dr Mwesige, according to a media handout from the Ministry of Defence and Veterans' Affairs, reported that the outreach provided considerable relief to both SSPDF personnel and the civilian population in the area.

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Alongside surgical interventions, the team on April 19 also treated numerous non-surgical cases, including malaria and upper and lower respiratory tract infections.

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The UPDF deployed to South Sudan on the invitation of President Salva Kiir Mayardit following the eruption of civil unrest.

“On March 10, 2025, under the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation and Status of Forces Agreement, South Sudan President, Salva Kiir, requested President Yoweri Museveni for urgent military support to avert a potential security catastrophe in South Sudan,” Minister Jacob Oboth Oboth recently told Parliament.

“Consequently, Museveni deployed the UPDF for a peace enforcement mission. His decision was based on the mandate given to him by the Constitution and the UPDF Act,” said Oboth.