Uganda to withdraw troops from Somalia after 19 years, reshaping AU mission and security calculus
Monday January 26, 2026
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MOGADISHU — Uganda has announced plans to pull its troops out of Somalia after nearly two decades of continuous peacekeeping, a move that could alter the balance of security in a country still battling Al-Shabab and test the resilience of the African Union mission.
In a brief statement posted on X on Sunday, Uganda’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, said the country’s mission in Somalia had effectively ended and that a full withdrawal was being prepared. “After 19 years in Somalia, we intend to completely withdraw from that country very soon,” he said, without offering a timetable or operational details.
Uganda contributes the largest contingent to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), fielding an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers. Its forces have guarded critical infrastructure in Mogadishu — including Aden Adde International Airport and the Port of Mogadishu — and have frequently taken on front-line roles against Al-Shabab, while also providing senior command leadership across the mission.
Uganda was the first nation to deploy under the African Union banner in 2007 and has been a constant presence through multiple phases of the AU mission. Its exit, if completed in the near term, would leave a sizable operational gap for AUSSOM to manage at a time when Somali forces are still consolidating gains, and Al-Shabab retains the capacity to stage high-profile attacks.
No withdrawal schedule has been made public, and neither Somalia’s federal government nor the African Union has commented on how Kampala’s exit would be sequenced or backfilled. It also remains unclear whether a phased drawdown, site handovers, or a rapid redeployment will be used to transition Ugandan-held positions.
The announcement lands amid mounting financial pressure on AUSSOM, whose current mandate began on Jan. 1, 2025. The mission is grappling with major funding gaps and limited initial commitments, according to officials familiar with the financing environment. The European Union has reduced its support, and the United States has suspended funding over burden-sharing concerns — leaving the African Union struggling to cover operations and arrears owed to troop-contributing countries.
Those constraints have already forced tough choices on logistics and force posture across Somalia. A potential Ugandan withdrawal could exacerbate those stresses unless additional funding, new contributors, or reconfigured Somali-led security plans bridge the gap. Reassignments within AUSSOM or accelerated Somali National Army deployments may be required to secure key government facilities and urban corridors in the capital if Uganda leaves quickly.
For Somalia, the decision underscores the delicate moment facing its security transition: preparing national forces to assume more responsibility while preventing Al-Shabab from exploiting any lull in coverage. For the African Union, it raises broader questions about sustainable peace operations financing and the ability to maintain multinational stability missions when donor support ebbs.
Uganda’s defense leadership has not elaborated on the rationale or timing beyond Muhoozi’s statement. As of Monday, there was no formal notice of a drawdown plan filed publicly with AUSSOM, and no allied capitals had announced compensating deployments. The coming days are likely to focus on consultations between Kampala, Mogadishu and the AU to determine next steps.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
