Uganda has deployed special forces in South Sudan's capital Juba to "secure it", Uganda's military chief said on Tuesday, but South Sudan's information minister denied the presence of troops, as tensions between South Sudan's president and first vice president stoke fears of a return to war.

Uganda has deployed special forces to South Sudan's capital, Juba, to help President Salva Kiir to "secure it", Uganda's military chief Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has said. The move comes as tensions escalate between Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar,

South Sudan declined on Wednesday to confirm the deployment of Ugandan troops amid rising political and military tensions, raising fears of a potential escalation between rival factions and a return to full-scale conflict.