Museveni visits Juba amid tension in the oil-rich east African nation

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday arrived in the South Sudanese capital of Juba for a visit.

Museveni’s visit to Juba comes amidst tension in the oil-rich east African nation after Riek Machar, who serves as one of the country’s vice presidents, was arrested in the capital towards the end of last month. Museveni was received at Juba International Airport by President Salva Kiir.

The two then held a private meeting before the Ugandan president returned to Uganda. Recent weeks have seen increased tension in the country following Machar's arrest.

Machar’s political group has said that a 2018 agreement that's the basis for relative peace after a brutal civil is effectively over, raising fears of a return to warfare as government troops loyal to Kiir battle soldiers and armed militia loyal to Machar.

Museveni’s visit also comes on the heels of the arrival of the African Union mediators who are in the South Sudanese capital to assess the situation in the country.