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False Claims of Ugandan Soldier Deaths in South Sudan Spread Online
Reports circulating online falsely allege the mass burial of Ugandan troops purportedly killed in South Sudan. These misleading claims emerged following the deployment of Ugandan troops to South Sudan in March 2025 amidst escalated tensions between factions loyal to the nation’s primary political rivals. Social media posts, particularly on TikTok, have incorrectly used video footage to support this false claim. However, the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) has refuted these allegations, and investigations reveal the video depicts a different event entirely.
Screenshot of the misleading TikTok post, captured April 14, 2025
The deceptive TikTok video, posted on April 1, 2025, includes a text overlay stating: “UPDF soldiers killed in South Sudan. It’s a shame and painful thing to die in a war that doesn’t concern you.”
The footage displays individuals in military attire carrying coffins for burial, accompanied by sounds of mourning.
The account “cleverkiss,” known for sharing content related to South Sudanese politics and conflict, posted the video. The account has a significant following of over 5,000 users.
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The same erroneous assertion appeared on X, accompanied by an image showing soldiers near an aircraft and coffins draped with Ugandan flags.
A post on X from March 27, 2025, declared: “Over 500 UPDF soldiers were killed in South Sudan after their reckless deployment. No one anywhere will report about this!” This post has been shared more than 200 times.
Screenshot illustrating the false post on X, taken April 14, 2025
Another TikTok post combined the burial video with the image of the flag-draped coffins, further spreading the misinformation.
Context of the South Sudan Crisis
Renewed violence in South Sudan is rooted in persistent ethnic and political rivalries between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar. This instability jeopardizes the fragile 2018 peace agreement.
Uganda, having previously intervened in South Sudan, redeployed its forces in March 2025 to support President Kiir.
Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) criticized Uganda’s intervention, alleging violations of a UN arms embargo due to airstrikes and deployment of armored units.
The Ugandan military previously dismissed claims of using chemical weapons in South Sudan, attributing these accusations to AI-generated propaganda from Machar’s faction.
Specifically, the video purporting to depict fallen Ugandan soldiers in South Sudan is demonstrably false.
真相澄清: Video Originates from Zambian Tragedy
Investigations using reverse image searches via Google Lens by AFP Fact Check traced the video to a Facebook post from March 27, 2025, by ZNBC, Zambia’s state broadcaster.
The ZNBC video is titled: “Burial of the Kawambwa Sugar Employees who drowned takes place Ten Drowned (sic).”
While not visually identical, the ZNBC footage and the false TikTok video portray the same event. Key similarities include the graves, white grave markers, coffins, and pallbearers’ uniforms.
Comparative screenshots: TikTok video (top, bottom left) and ZNBC footage
ZNBC reported that the burial commemorated the tragic deaths of sugar company employees who drowned in the Lwena River on March 24, 2025, while traveling to work.
Other Zambian news sources also covered the unfortunate incident.
On April 1, 2025, the UPDF, via the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), publicly rejected claims of mass casualties in South Sudan.
UPDF spokesperson Chris Magezi stated, “That information is a total fabrication. It is fake news.”
Coffin Image Misrepresentation
AFP Fact Check also investigated the image of coffins draped in Ugandan flags using reverse image search.
The original AFP photograph dates back to August 2005 and was taken at Entebbe Air Base in Uganda.
Screenshot of the archived AFP image, taken April 14, 2025
The AFP caption details UPDF soldiers positioned near coffins carrying the remains of the Ugandan presidential helicopter crew. They died alongside Sudanese Vice President John Garang in a 2005 helicopter crash near the Sudan-Uganda border.
Previous Fact-Checks
AFP Fact Check has previously debunked similar false narratives concerning Ugandan troop involvement in South Sudan.