Uganda has begun withdrawing troops serving under its bilateral arrangement with Somalia, while an African Union mission warns the drawdown may expose a region to al-Shabab.
Col. Chris Magezi, a spokesman for Uganda’s People’s Defence Forces, said Monday that the first contingent had returned to Uganda and the withdrawal took effect immediately. Those troops served under a bilateral arrangement, separate from Uganda’s contingent in the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
Uganda sent troops to Somalia in 2007, when the African Union established a mission to support Mogadishu’s fight against al-Shabab. Magezi has also said Uganda plans to withdraw its AUSSOM personnel by the end of 2027; an earlier report on the withdrawal timeline and security warning covered that plan.
In an Oct. 31 letter to the U.N. Support Office in Somalia, AUSSOM warned that a withdrawal could leave parts of Lower Shabelle exposed to al-Shabab 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, but said a sudden departure could cause difficulties. Uganda plans to withdraw all its forces by the end of 2027.
