Uganda’s army said on Monday that the first group of its soldiers deployed under bilateral arrangements with Somalia has already returned home, days after a first contingent of 109 troops left Mogadishu on Friday, the BBC reported. Uganda keeps an estimated 4,500 troops in Somalia under the African Union mission, now called AUSSOM, and about 2,000 more under bilateral arrangements, and the army said all of them will leave by the end of 2027 in a phased withdrawal that hands security responsibility to Somali forces. Army chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced the pullout last week, and acting army spokesperson Chris Magezi confirmed the timetable on Monday. Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited Kampala last week and reportedly tried to persuade Uganda to stay, without a public outcome.
Uganda begins withdrawing troops from Somalia after 20 years
Uganda has begun pulling its troops out of Somalia, the army confirmed on Monday, starting a phased exit of about 6,500 soldiers by the end of 2027 and ending the deployment that opened the African Union mission in 2007.
Why it matters: Uganda was the first and largest troop contributor against al-Shabab, and its exit hands security to Somali forces while the successor mission, AUSSOM, still faces uncertain funding as United States and United Nations support winds down.
Data as of BBC report of November 2, 2026 read in full via the live browser; Deutsche Welle carried the same army announcement the same day. Troop totals are estimates as reported. No Somali government or African Union reaction had been published at the time of writing. Developing item.
Sources
- Uganda begins withdrawing troops from Somalia after 20 years - BBC - 2026-11-02
- Uganda begins withdrawing troops from Somalia after two decades - Deutsche Welle - 2026-11-02