Uganda has begun phased withdrawal of its soldiers involved in military operations in Somalia, nearly two decades after their deployment.
Uganda’s acting army spokesperson Chris Magezi on Monday said the first group of troops deployed to Somalia through a bilateral arrangement had already arrived back home and others would follow in a few days’ time.
He said all forces, including those under the African Union (AU) mission, would exit by the end of 2027.
Uganda was the first African country to deploy troops to Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), established in 2007 to help protect the country’s transitional government from attacks by Islamist militants.
A first contingent of 109 Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) troops reportedly left Somali’s capital, Mogadishu, on Friday, following an announcement by Uganda’s army chief, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Last week, Kainerugaba said Uganda had begun pulling out its troops and would hand over security responsibilities to Somali forces.
“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,” he wrote on X.
On Monday, the army spokesperson said this would mark the end of Uganda’s operations in the Horn of Africa country, with Somalia expected to “assume full responsibility for security”.
The withdrawal comes after Somalia President Sheikh Mohamud met his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Kampala last week.
The meeting was planned to discuss Somalia’s security situation, as well as trade and economic ties between the two countries.
The Somali president reportedly sought to persuade Uganda to extend its military presence.
In remarks during the visit, Museveni urged Somali leaders and citizens to unite in the fight against the militant insurgency led by al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda.
An estimated 4,500 troops are in Somalia under the Africa Union mission, alongside about 2,000 deployed through bilateral arrangements.
Somalia has been battling a prolonged and deadly insurgency for more than two decades.
After Ugandan forces were first deployed to the country in 2007, they played a key role in driving al-Shabab out of Mogadishu and other major towns.
