Uganda has started pulling its troops out of Somalia after almost two decades of deployment.
The first contingent of 109 Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) troops reportedly left the capital, Mogadishu, on Friday, following an announcement by Uganda’s army chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Uganda’s acting army spokesperson, Chris Magezi, did not respond to a request for comment from the BBC.
Uganda was the first African country to deploy troops to Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which was established in 2007 to help protect the country’s transitional government from attacks by Islamist militants.
Last week, General Muhoozi said Uganda had begun withdrawing its troops and would hand over security responsibilities to Somali forces. “As we promised, we have started withdrawing UPDF from Somalia. After 20 years of a lot of blood and sacrifice, we are handing over security to our Somali brothers,” he wrote on X.
The withdrawal is being carried out in phases and is expected to be completed by August 2027.
However, Uganda is not ending its entire military involvement in Somalia; its troops deployed under a separate bilateral security arrangement will remain in the country.
An estimated 4,500 troops are in Somalia under the African Union mission, alongside roughly 2,000 deployed through bilateral arrangements.
Somalia has been battling a prolonged and deadly insurgency led by al‑Shabaab, an al‑Qaeda‑linked militant group, for more than two decades.
Ugandan forces first deployed to the country in 2007 and played a key role in driving al‑Shabaab out of Mogadishu and other major towns. They fought alongside the Somali National Army to recapture strategic territory and secure key government installations.
Ugandan troops continued their involvement under successive African Union missions, including the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which aimed to gradually transfer security responsibilities to Somalia, and from 2025 the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), focused on strengthening Somalia’s security institutions and preparing its forces for full responsibility.
AUSSOM now faces uncertainty over its future funding, amid plans to wind down U.S. and U.N. support. A 12‑month transition plan is due to begin in January, giving Somalia and the AU time to seek alternative sources of funding.