Uganda has begun withdrawing troops from Somalia and plans to remove all its forces by the end of 2027, while an AU mission letter warns the drawdown may expose a region to al Shabaab attacks.
Uganda People’s Defence Forces spokesperson Chris Magezi said Monday that the first group serving under the bilateral arrangement had returned home. He said the drawdown took effect immediately.
Magezi said Uganda would also withdraw its personnel from the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) by the end of 2027. State media put Uganda’s AUSSOM deployment at about 4,500 troops. The number serving under the separate bilateral arrangement was not specified.
Uganda has kept troops in Somalia for nearly 20 years, backing the government’s campaign against al Shabaab, whose insurgency has lasted about as long.
AUSSOM’s Oct. 31 letter to the U.N. Support Office in Somalia warned that a withdrawal could leave parts of Lower Shabelle exposed to al Shabaab attacks, Reuters reported, citing two diplomatic sources who verified the letter. Somali State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar told Reuters that Somalia was not facing an acute crisis, though an abrupt withdrawal could still cause difficulties.
Uganda’s stated deadline for withdrawing all its forces is the end of 2027.
