Ugandan troops start pullout South Sudan – Official

Juba – The Ugandan army began its pullout from neighboring South Sudan, in line with a peace agreement aimed at ending nearly two years of civil war, an official said Tuesday.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has deployed troops to South Sudan in support of President Salva Kiir, who is fighting rebels led by former Vice President Riek Machar.
Ugandan soldiers have played a key role in the defense of the capital Juba and have used helicopter gunships to repel rebel attacks elsewhere in the country.
As part of a peace agreement mediated by regional bloc IGAD and signed in Addis Ababa in August by Kiir and Machar, Ugandan soldiers were expected to leave South Sudan, earlier this month.
“There is an agreement between the Government of Southern Sudan and the Government of Uganda that the UPDF (Ugandan Defence Forces people) withdraw from southern Sudan to return to Uganda,” spokesman of the South Sudanese government Michael Makuei told AFP.
“This process began today,” he added, explaining that the Ugandan troops in Bor, a town north of Juba key, were to the south of the capital, where they would have links with other troops UPDF and then leave the country.
“It is a force with many amenities and lots of things that need to be assembled, need to be organized,” he added, referring to the process is not quick.