Uganda begins pulling troops out of Somalia after 20 years
- Uganda's army says its first batch of troops under bilateral arrangements has returned home.
- All Ugandan forces, including those under the AU mission, will leave Somalia by end of 2027.
- Uganda was the first country to send troops to Somalia in 2007 to fight al-Shabab.
Uganda has started withdrawing its soldiers from Somalia, beginning with troops sent under a separate arrangement with the Somali government rather than through the African Union.
The Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) said in a statement on Monday that the first group of these soldiers had already arrived back in Uganda, and the rest would follow within days.
Acting defence public information director Colonel Chris Magezi signed the statement. It said the pullout would eventually cover all Ugandan troops in Somalia, including those serving under the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom), by the end of 2027.
According to the army, that will close a 20-year chapter of Ugandan peacekeeping in the Horn of Africa country and leave Somali forces fully in charge of security.
Why it matters
Uganda was the first African country to send troops to Somalia, deploying in March 2007 under the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom). The mission was set up to protect Somalia's government from al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group that has fought a long insurgency.
Ugandan soldiers helped push al-Shabab out of Mogadishu and other major towns, and fought alongside the Somali National Army to retake territory and guard key government sites.
Amisom was later replaced by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) in 2022, and then by Aussom in January 2025, which focuses on building Somalia's own security institutions.
The withdrawal comes after Somali President Sheikh Mohamud visited his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Kampala last week. The talks covered Somalia's security and trade ties. Reports say the Somali leader sought to persuade Uganda to stay longer, but the outcome was not made public. During the visit, Museveni urged Somalis to unite against al-Shabab.
An estimated 4,500 troops serve in Somalia under the African Union mission, with about 2,000 more deployed through bilateral arrangements.
What happens next
The army chief, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced the pullout last week, saying Uganda was handing security to "our Somali brothers" after "20 years of a lot of blood and sacrifice".
Aussom's future is uncertain, with plans to wind down US and UN support. A 12-month transition plan is due to start in January, giving Somalia and the African Union time to find other funding.
