KAMPALA — Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has announced that Uganda has started withdrawing its troops from Somalia after nearly two decades of military involvement in the country.
“As we promised, we have started withdrawing UPDF from Somalia. After 20 years of a lot of blood and sacrifice we are handing over security to our Somali brothers,” Gen Kainerugaba posted on X on Thursday.
The announcement comes two days after President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni met Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at State House, Entebbe, for discussions that included Somalia’s security situation and efforts to defeat the Al-Shabaab insurgency.
Gen Kainerugaba did not specify the number of troops being withdrawn, the locations involved or how long the process would take.
His latest statement follows reports that Uganda had communicated plans to withdraw troops from several locations in the Lower Shabelle region, including Barawe, Bulo Marer, Qoryoley and Janaale. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud reportedly sought to persuade President Museveni to delay the withdrawal to give Somali security forces more time to prepare to take over.
In a statement following the October 26 meeting, the Office of the President said President Mohamud had commended Uganda’s military contribution and expressed hope that Ugandan troops would remain in Somalia longer to support efforts to achieve lasting stability.
The latest announcement also follows Gen Kainerugaba’s August declaration that Uganda would withdraw all its troops from Somalia by August 1, 2027.
“We are withdrawing completely from Somalia by the 1st of August 2027,” he said in a previous post, adding that there would be no UPDF troops in Somalia after that date.
Uganda has maintained a military presence in Somalia since March 2007, when it became the first country to deploy troops under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
Ugandan forces subsequently served under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and currently operate under the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which replaced ATMIS in January 2025.
The mission supports Somali security forces in operations against Al-Shabaab, an armed group affiliated with al-Qaeda that continues to pose a major security threat in the country.
Ugandan troops have participated in operations to secure key population centres and recover territory from the group. The deployment has also come at a cost, including casualties among UPDF personnel.
The withdrawal announcement raises questions about the pace of the handover and the readiness of Somali forces to assume responsibility for areas currently secured by Ugandan troops.
As of Thursday, Gen Kainerugaba had not publicly provided further operational details of the withdrawal, and the latest post did not indicate whether the August 2027 deadline had been brought forward for the complete withdrawal.
