Several killed after Uganda, South Sudanese troops clash near border

Uganda's army has clashed with armed forces in South Sudan, officials said on Tuesday.

Uganda has been a long-time military supporter of South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and announced in March that it had deployed special forces to the country.

The clashes on Monday were between the Ugandan People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and a South Sudanese detachment of government troops in Central Equatoria State, near their shared border.

"Elements from the armies of two sisterly Republics of South Sudan and Uganda exchanged fires" in Kajo Keji County, the South Sudan army said in a statement.

'Loss of lives and injuries'

It said the chief of its defence staff had spoken with his Ugandan counterpart to ensure hostilities ceased and launch an investigation into how the clashes began.

A statement by Kajo Keji County representatives said the "attack has resulted in loss of lives and injuries from both sides."

The representatives said thousands were forced to flee their homes and were "sheltering in bushes, religious premises and local schools."

Uganda sent troops to support President Salva Kiir when civil war broke out in the country in 2013, just two years after it had gained independence from Sudan.

The war between Kiir and his vice, Riek Machar, lasted five years and left some 400,000 dead before a power-sharing agreement was reached in 2018.