Uganda begins phased withdrawal of troops from Somalia after two decades

Uganda has begun withdrawing its troops from Somalia after nearly two decades of military involvement, with the first contingent of 109 soldiers leaving the capital, Mogadishu, on Friday. The departure followed an announcement by Uganda's army chief, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who said last week that the pullout had started and that security responsibilities would be handed over 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. Uganda's acting army spokesperson, Chris Magezi, did not respond to the BBC's request for comment. 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. Ugandan forces went on to play a key role in driving al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked group, out of Mogadishu and other major towns, fighting alongside the Somali National Army to recapture strategic territory and secure key government installations. Somalia has battled a prolonged and deadly insurgency led by al-Shabab for more than two decades. Ugandan troops continued their involvement under successive African Union operations, including the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis), which was set up to gradually transfer security responsibilities to Somalia. That mission was replaced in 2025 by the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom), which focuses on strengthening Somalia's security institutions and preparing its forces to take full responsibility for the country's security. The withdrawal is being carried out in phases and is expected to be completed in August 2027. An estimated 4,500 Ugandan troops are currently in Somalia under the African Union mission, alongside about 2,000 deployed through bilateral arrangements. Uganda is not ending its entire military involvement in the country, however. Troops deployed under a separate bilateral security arrangement will remain in Somalia. The drawdown comes as Aussom faces uncertainty over its future funding amid plans to wind down US and UN support. A 12-month transition plan is due to begin in January, giving Somalia and the African Union time to seek alternative sources of funding.