A redeployment by Uganda to Bor, the capital of Jonglei State in South Sudan, will be out of the question once it pulls its troops out, President Yoweri Museveni has said.

This, sources say, is because of President Museveni’s reluctance to risk casualties once again. This decision was communicated during a recent meeting between President Museveni and President Salvar Kiir over the role of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) once an AU mandated regional peace enforcement force deploys in South Sudan.

Uganda, which is under both domestic and international pressure to withdraw its troops, sees a continued presence in South Sudan as essential to its security interests and was proposing a solution that would see at least 40 per cent of its current troop deployment remain close to the flashpoints while the majority were kept within striking distance at border towns.

Uganda may withdraw from South Sudan once the deployment of the 5,000 peace enforcement troops is complete. However, Kampala would leave about two battalions inside South Sudan and deploy the rest at border towns in West Nile region and Gulu district in northern Uganda.

READ: Igad peacekeepers on the way as Uganda ready to withdraw

During a recent meeting in Nairobi, President Museveni reportedly told President Kiir that Ugandan troops would not return to Bor once they withdrew, to avoid the losses the country suffered in the fight to wrest the town from rebel control last December.

Though no death toll has been announced by the army, it is estimated that Uganda has lost close to 40 soldiers in South Sudan. The number of deployed troops is also not officially known, although estimates put the formations at between five and seven battalions.

Under President Museveni’s proposed plan, liaison troops will remain in either Bor or the strategic town of Nisitu.

“Will Uganda withdraw from South Sudan? Yes. Is there a plan? Yes. Some of the forces may be kept at Nisitu while the rest will be deployed inside Uganda,” a security official said in response to questions by The EastAfrican.

The remaining troops will be used to guard key government and UN installations and corridors essential to delivery of humanitarian aid to displaced persons.

The troops will also continue to gather intelligence on the activities of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels that have for years trained, organised and attacked Uganda from inside Sudan.

The United States Secretary of State John Kerry, who visited South Sudan two weeks ago, pledged US support for the troops.

Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopian’s foreign ministers agreed with Mr Kerry on how large the force would be, when it would be deployed, and how it would be used, but they did not reveal the date of deployment.

The 5,000-strong peace enforcement force with a mandate to protect civilians and deter the warring parties from launching an offensive will come from Ethiopia, Rwanda and Kenya.

The Igad force will also protect the oil fields, mainly located in Unity and Upper Nile States, which are considered rebel strongholds.

Uganda went into South Sudan in December 2013 to push back the rebels from advancing to the capital Juba, then took control of the town of Bor, about 90km north of Juba, in a battle that saw UPDF lose several soldiers.

Bor has since acted as a buffer zone, preventing the rebels from advancing from rebel-held territories in the north to the south where government troops are held.

However as a member of Igad, Uganda’s deployment in South Sudan was criticised. Sudan, the US, the UN and Igad all urged Uganda to withdraw its forces from South Sudan as its involvement was seen as detrimental to negotiations.

The South Sudanese rebels even made the withdrawal of UPDF an agenda of the peace negotiations and a condition in the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.

However Uganda rejected the call to withdraw, saying it was in the country at the invitation of President Kiir and acted to avert a possible genocide. It also went into South Sudan for its own security reasons.

READ: We will not leave South Sudan, says UPDF

International Affairs Minister Okello Oryem said the Ugandan army will remain in South Sudan until the regional bloc deploys the proposed peace enforcement troops.

South Sudan government officials said Uganda’s deployment was a rescue mission that averted ethnic cleansing and Uganda would withdraw to other areas to fight the LRA when the Igad troops deploy.

Uganda plans to work with countries that will contribute to the peace enforcement troops to secure its interests in South Sudan.

Ethiopia could lead the regional peace enforcement troops if a proposal by the Troika countries — the US, the UK and Denmark — that are funding the force is accepted by the regional leaders. Ethiopia is already leading the peace talks.

The fighting in South Sudan erupted on December 15, 2013 after a political disagreement and soon turned into an all-out war between the South Sudanese army and defectors. The violence took on an ethnic dimension that pitted the Dinka, the tribe Kiir belongs to, against Machar’s Nuer.

The violence continues despite a ceasefire signed on May 9 to end five months of heavy fighting, which has left thousands dead and 1.2 million people displaced. The international community has repeatedly urged both sides to respect the ceasefire.