If Uganda does become involved in a land defense of South Sudan against Khartoum, it may find that its own Ugandan People鈥檚 Defense Forces are . At present, (5,700) of the 12,000-strong peacekeeping force, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Its fighters are also involved in a two-year-long operation called 鈥淥peration Lightning Thunder鈥� against the Lord鈥檚 Resistance Army, hunting for top LRA leaders such as Joseph Kony in the jungles of South Sudan, Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Western diplomats, speaking privately to the Monitor, say they worry that Uganda may not be able or willing to sustain all three operations, if it gets involved in the Sudan conflict. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a question of when, not if, Uganda would intervene,鈥� one diplomat told the Monitor. 鈥淭heir red line is a line of latitude they will not define. That鈥檚 a worry for AMISOM.鈥�
