Uganda Begins Withdrawing Troops From Somalia After 20 Years
Uganda has begun withdrawing about 6,500 troops from Somalia, ending a deployment begun in 2007 and handing security to Somali forces by late 2027.
The update
Uganda’s military said on Monday that the first cohort of its troops has returned home from Somalia, starting a phased withdrawal to be completed by the end of 2027. A first contingent of 109 soldiers left Mogadishu on Friday. Uganda has about 4,500 troops serving under the African Union’s AUSSOM mission and about 2,000 deployed under bilateral agreements, and all will leave, handing full security responsibility to Somali forces.
Why it matters
Uganda was the first country to deploy to Somalia in 2007, helping drive al-Shabab from Mogadishu and other major towns. The exit ends nearly 20 years of operations against the al-Qaeda-linked group, which still controls significant territory in central and southern Somalia. It comes as AUSSOM faces uncertainty after the United States moved to end funding for a UN logistics office the mission relies on, and days after the UN closed its political mission in Somalia.
What to watch
Attention will turn to whether Somali forces can hold territory as the drawdown proceeds, whether the African Union finds replacement funding during a 12-month transition due to start in January, and whether insecurity disrupts Somalia’s elections planned for May. Somalia’s president sought an extension of Uganda’s presence during talks in Kampala last week, but Uganda says the withdrawal is under way.
Sources
- bbc.co.uk — confirms the withdrawal timeline, troop numbers and presidential talks in Kampala
- dw.com — confirms the phased exit by the end of 2027, the US funding context and the security handover
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