Uganda hands over bodies of two South Sudan soldiers after months in mortuary
Authorities in Uganda’s Yumbe District have handed over the bodies of two South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) soldiers to South Sudanese officials after they spent months at Yumbe Regional Referral Hospital mortuary.
One of the bodies was identified as 27-year-old Corporal Daniel Agweli, who was shot dead by Ugandan security personnel on December 19, 2025, in Yamba Village near the Uganda-South Sudan border.
Ugandan authorities said Agweli had allegedly robbed a charcoal dealer of money, a mobile phone and a motorcycle before opening fire when security officers attempted to arrest him.
However, South Sudanese authorities, led by Kajo-Keji County Commissioner Wani Jackson Mule, had previously disputed the robbery allegations against Agweli.
The second body was that of an SSPDF soldier killed in April 2026 during an exchange of fire between Ugandan and South Sudanese forces amid a border dispute around Kerwa and Kajo-Keji. A Ugandan soldier serving as a detachment commander was also killed in the clash.
The bodies were handed over on Monday at Afoji border point in Yumbe in the presence of security officials from both countries.
Yumbe Resident District Commissioner [RDC] Sulaiman Lubwama Bukya said the handover was intended to strengthen cooperation and allow the families to give the soldiers a decent burial.
“We handed over the bodies at Afoji, which is our border point between Moyo and Kajo-Keji. One was an SSPDF soldier who crossed into Uganda in December but, when he was intercepted by UPDF personnel, he opened fire, so he was put out of action,” Lubwama said.
He said the second soldier was killed during the April clash at Kerwa, which also resulted in the death of a Ugandan sergeant who commanded the detachment.
Lubwama said South Sudanese officials received the bodies for burial in South Sudan.
He said the security situation along the border was currently calm, although authorities were negotiating the release of detained citizens.
“There is one of our chairpersons, identified as Chiriga Emmy, who was detained in Kajo-Keji and, as authorities in Uganda, we also arrested Mawa Joseph who is in Yumbe Prison,” Lubwama said.
He said South Sudan was claiming Mawa as its citizen, while Uganda was seeking the release of Chiriga.
Lubwama said continued communication between authorities had helped prevent border incidents from escalating, following agreements reached during a bilateral meeting in Arua.
He also said two SSPDF soldiers detained during a clash at Fitina Mbaya in July 2025 had since been handed over to authorities in Central Equatoria State.
Yumbe shares a long border with South Sudan’s Kajo-Keji and Morobo areas and has previously experienced cross-border crime, armed clashes and illegal entry by armed personnel.
Lubwama called for calm as authorities from both countries continue efforts to maintain peaceful coexistence between border communities.