Uganda begins withdrawing troops from Somalia

Overview

Updated 52 minutes ago

A Kenyan-registered plane carrying 109 Ugandan soldiers left Mogadishu on Friday, the first group of a planned full exit. Uganda's army chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced the pullout a day earlier. All Ugandan troops, including those under the African Union mission, are due home by the end of 2027.

Uganda was the first country to send troops to Somalia, in 2007, and its forces helped push al-Shabab out of the capital. Its troops still hold river-crossing towns in Lower Shabelle that shield Mogadishu from attack. Their departure, and a US funding cut to the mission's logistics, leaves Somali forces holding front-line bases for the first time.

Why it matters

The troops guarding Mogadishu's approaches are leaving, and the money that supplies them is being cut.

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Key Indicators

109

Soldiers in first departing group

The first contingent flew out of Mogadishu on 30 October 2026.

6,500

Ugandan troops in Somalia

About 4,500 serve under the African Union mission and 2,000 under a bilateral deal.

2027

Target for full Ugandan exit

Uganda's army chief set August 2027; officials say all forces leave by year-end.

2007

Year Uganda first deployed

It was the first country to contribute troops to the African Union mission.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

General Muhoozi Kainerugaba

Chief of Defence Forces, Uganda People's Defence Forces

Announced and is overseeing the withdrawal

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni

President of Uganda

Rejected Somalia's request to delay the drawdown

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud

President of Somalia

Seeking to manage the security handover

Chris Magezi

Acting army spokesperson, Uganda People's Defence Forces

Briefing on the phased withdrawal

Organizations Involved

Uganda People's Defence Force

National military

Withdrawing about 6,500 troops from Somalia

Uganda's armed forces, the first to deploy troops to Somalia under the African Union in 2007.

African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia

African Union peacekeeping mission

Losing its first and largest troop contributor

The African Union mission that replaced ATMIS on 1 January 2025, focused on building Somali security forces.

Al-Shabaab

Militant Islamist Organization

Controls large areas of central and southern Somalia

An al-Qaeda-linked insurgency that has fought Somalia's government and African Union forces since 2007.

United Nations Support Office in Somalia

UN logistics operation

Facing a phased funding drawdown from January 2027

The UN office that supplies African Union troops in Somalia with food, fuel, transport and medical evacuation.

Timeline

March 2007 August 2027

10 events Latest: 3 days ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

August 2027
Target for full Ugandan exit
Upcoming Withdrawal

Uganda's army chief aims to complete the pullout by August 2027.
August 2027
January 2027
US logistics drawdown begins
Upcoming Funding

A 12-month phased reduction of UN logistical support starts under the Security Council deal.
January 2027
November 2026
Forward bases due for handover
Upcoming Handover

Uganda is scheduled to hand its forward operating bases to the Somali army.
In 2 days
October 2026
First 109 soldiers fly out
Latest Withdrawal

A chartered aircraft carries the first contingent from Mogadishu to Uganda.
3 days ago
Army chief announces withdrawal
Statement

General Muhoozi Kainerugaba says on X that Ugandan troops have started leaving.
4 days ago
Somali president visits Kampala
Diplomacy

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud asks Museveni to delay the pullout; Museveni declines.
7 days ago
July 2026
US warns it will cut mission logistics
Funding

Washington tells the African Union it will oppose UN logistical backing for AUSSOM.
July 1st, 2026
January 2025
AUSSOM replaces ATMIS
Mission change

The African Union mission shifts focus to building Somali security institutions.
January 1st, 2025
August 2011
Al-Shabab pushed out of Mogadishu
Military

Ugandan and Somali forces drive the militants from the capital and later from major southern towns.
August 2011
March 2007
Uganda becomes first troop contributor
Deployment

Ugandan forces join the new African Union Mission in Somalia to protect the transitional government.
March 2007

Scenarios

Uganda completes its exit by 2027 and Somali forces hold the line

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Ugandan military officials and African Union planners

The phased handover of forward bases proceeds, Somali units take over Lower Shabelle positions, and the remaining Ugandan contingents leave on schedule. This depends on Somali forces filling the gap and on AUSSOM retaining enough logistics support through the US drawdown.

Al-Shabab retakes ground in Lower Shabelle after the handover

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Security analysts cited in regional and international reporting

Ugandan troops have held river-crossing towns that block routes into Mogadishu. If Somali units cannot hold those positions, al-Shabab could move back toward the capital and threaten the relative calm of recent years.

AUSSOM unravels early as US funding ends

Uncertain Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: African Union officials and UN funding documents

The US has said it will oppose UN logistical backing for AUSSOM. If other donors do not replace the roughly $500 million support framework, troop contributors may leave faster than planned, leaving Somalia's government without a multinational force.

Uganda pauses the withdrawal and keeps a residual force

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Regional diplomats and Ugandan opposition figures

Museveni declined Mohamud's request to delay, but Kampala has reversed course on deployments before. A sharp security deterioration in Mogadishu, or a new bilateral arrangement, could leave a smaller Ugandan contingent in place past 2027.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

January 2009

Ethiopian withdrawal from Somalia (2009)

Ethiopia invaded Somalia in 2006 to oust the Islamic Courts Union and installed the transitional government. Its troops withdrew in January 2009 under a UN-brokered deal, leaving behind a weak African Union force of about 3,000 Ugandan and Burundian soldiers.

Then

Al-Shabab quickly took Baidoa and much of southern Somalia, and the AU mission came under sustained attack in Mogadishu.

Now

The withdrawal set the stage for a larger AMISOM surge that eventually pushed the militants out of the capital in 2011.

Why this matters now

It shows how fast a departing foreign force can hand territory back to al-Shabab, and how a thin AU mission can become the only thing holding the capital.

October 1993 - March 1995

US withdrawal from Somalia (1993-1995)

After 18 US soldiers died in the Battle of Mogadishu in October 1993, Washington announced a timetable to leave. The UN peacekeeping mission ended in March 1995, and Somalia was left without a functioning central government.

Then

Warlords divided the country, and international agencies largely pulled out.

Now

Somalia had no effective national government until 2012, and the intervention's failure shaped how Washington approached the country for two decades.

Why this matters now

It is the reference case for what happens when outside forces leave Somalia before local ones can hold ground, and it explains US caution about paying for another mission.