Uganda announced Monday that it has begun its Uganda Somalia troop withdrawal, ending almost two decades of work countering Al-Shabab insurgents. According to allAfrica, the country has been a key player in efforts to counter the insurgents in Somalia for almost two decades.
A statement from the Ugandan military said the first cohort of troops under the phased withdrawal operation has already arrived back in Uganda, according to DW. The military said it will gradually withdraw all its forces in Somalia, including those serving under the African Union mission AUSSOM, by the close of 2027, according to allAfrica.
According to DW, around 4,500 Ugandan troops are stationed in Somalia as part of AUSSOM, with about 2,000 more deployed under bilateral agreements. Local media reported that an initial contingent of 109 Ugandan soldiers left Mogadishu on Friday, according to allAfrica.
The withdrawal comes as the UN Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia closed on Saturday after more than three decades of peacebuilding, according to DW. The mission transferred responsibility to the Somali government and UN agencies.
Uganda was the first country to send troops to Somalia, deploying in 2007 as part of an African Union peacekeeping force that supported the Somali government against Al-Shabab. The mission has faced uncertainty in recent months. A US decision to end funding for a UN logistics office the coalition relies on has put the future of AUSSOM in doubt. Washington, the biggest donor, has voiced frustration over the lack of progress against Al-Shabab and has accused the Somali government of failing to unite the country.
The Ugandan military said Somali forces will assume full responsibility for security. The sources do not say how the withdrawal will affect Al-Shabab’s control of territory or Somalia’s security capacity.
Several gaps remain. The 109-soldier figure comes from local media reports and has not been confirmed by the Ugandan military in these sources. No response from the Somali government, the African Union or the United States to the announcement is included in the available reporting. France 24 provided only a headline and short excerpts with no substantive facts.
Uganda will continue the phased withdrawal of its AUSSOM and bilateral forces through the close of 2027. Somalia is preparing for elections due in May next year, a process that insecurity and opposition disputes threaten to derail.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.