Uganda has begun withdrawing its troops from Somalia after practically 20 years of navy involvement in the nation.
Uganda’s performing military spokesperson Chris Magezi on Monday said the first group of troops deployed to Somalia through a bilateral association had already arrived back home and others would observe in a few days’ time.
He said all forces, including those under the African Union (AU) mission, would exit by the finish of 2027 in the phased withdrawal.
Uganda was the first African nation to deploy troops to Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), which was established in 2007 to help defend the nation’s transitional authorities from attacks by Islamist militants.
A first contingent of 109 Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) troops reportedly left the capital, Mogadishu, on Friday, following an announcement by Uganda’s military chief, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Last week, Gen Muhoozi said Uganda had begun pulling out its troops and would hand over security obligations 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.
On Monday, Magezi said this will mark the finish of Uganda’s operations in the Horn of Africa nation, with Somalia expected to “assume full responsibility for security”.
The withdrawal comes after Somalia President Sheikh Mohamud met his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in a go to to Kampala last week.
The assembly was deliberate to talk about Somalia’s security state of affairs as nicely as commerce and financial ties between the two international locations.
The Somali president reportedly sought to persuade Uganda to prolong its navy presence in Somalia, although the consequence on this was not made public.
In remarks during the go to, Museveni urged Somali leaders and residents to unite in the struggle against al-Shabab militant insurgency.
An estimated 4,500 troops are in Somalia under the Africa Union mission, alongside about 2,000 deployed through bilateral preparations.
Somalia has been battling a extended and lethal insurgency led by al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, for more than 20 years.
Uganda forces first deployed to the nation in 2007 and performed a key function in driving al-Shabab out of Mogadishu and other main cities.
They fought alongside the Somali National Army to recapture strategic territory and secure key authorities installations.
Ugandan troops continued its navy involvement under successive Africa Union, including the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis), which started with the goal of regularly transferring security obligations to Somalia.
It was changed in 2025 by the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom), which is centered on strengthening Somalia’s security establishments and making ready its forces to take full duty for the nation’s security.
Aussom now faces uncertainty over its future funding, amid plans to wind down US and UN support.
A 12-month transition plan is due to start to in January, giving Somalia and the AU time to search different sources of funding.
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