Uganda Starts Pulling Troops From Somalia After Nearly Two Decades
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Uganda has begun pulling its troops out of Somalia after nearly 20 years, opening a new chapter for the African Union’s security mission as funding shortfalls and changing international backing cast uncertainty over its future.
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Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s chief of defence forces, announced the withdrawal Thursday, saying security duties were being transferred 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,” Kainerugaba wrote on X on Oct. 29.
The move comes as the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM, confronts mounting financial and logistical difficulties linked to changes in international funding arrangements.
Uganda’s Daily Monitor reported that the withdrawal is taking place alongside a 25% cut in funding from the United Nations Support Office in Somalia and uncertainty over whether the United States will continue backing the mission.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has previously said the deployment reflected Uganda’s regional security interests and its solidarity with neighboring countries.
At a July 31 summit in Kampala of countries contributing troops to Somalia, Museveni said the country would not be deserted even if international partners ended their support.
“If the international community wants to pull out, let them. … Somalia will not be abandoned. We have the capacity,” he said.
The funding crisis has intensified broader concerns over AUSSOM’s viability. The mission depends substantially on international assistance for basic operations, including food, fuel, medical care and transport.
The United States said in July that it would not back an extension of the mission’s mandate at the United Nations Security Council in December. Washington later agreed to allow the U.N. 12 additional months to phase out its logistical support, a drawdown that is expected to start in January 2027.
Uganda became the first nation to send forces to Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia, or AMISOM, in 2007. It has since maintained one of the country’s largest military contingents.
Ugandan troops have fought alongside the Somali National Army in campaigns against al-Shabab, helping hold strategic towns and safeguard important government facilities.
AMISOM gave way to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, known as ATMIS, in 2022. AUSSOM replaced that mission in 2025.
AUSSOM’s mandate includes assisting Somali security forces, protecting civilians and supporting the phased transfer of security responsibilities to Somalia’s national institutions.
The African Union has pledged to remain engaged despite the financial strain. African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the bloc would mobilize political, diplomatic and financial support for Somalia’s security transition. Uganda’s withdrawal nevertheless raises questions about the future makeup of the African Union force and Somalia’s capacity to take on a larger role in protecting the country as international support changes significantly.
AXADLETM
