Uganda announced on Monday, November 2, 2026, that it had begun withdrawing its soldiers deployed in Somalia under a bilateral agreement, initiating a gradual exit of all its forces after nearly twenty years of military presence, according to the Ugandan army.
A first contingent has already returned to Uganda. Units under the bilateral agreement must leave Somali territory in the coming days, while the withdrawal of soldiers serving within the African Union Mission for Support and Stabilization in Somalia is to be completed by the end of 2027.
Colonel Chris Magezi, acting director of defense information, presented this schedule in a statement. The Ugandan army asserts that Somali forces will gradually assume full responsibility for the country’s security.
Uganda was the first African state to send troops to Somalia in March 2007 as part of the African Union Mission. Its soldiers took part in the recapture of Mogadishu and other areas occupied by the Shebab, a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
Approximately 4,500 Ugandan soldiers are deployed within AUSSOM, according to state media cited by Reuters. The number of troops present under the bilateral agreement has not been disclosed.
The withdrawal raises questions about security in southern Somalia. A note from AUSSOM reviewed by Reuters warns that certain areas of Lower Shabelle could become more vulnerable to attacks by the Shebab, while Ali Omar, Somali State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, has suggested that a too rapid departure could create difficulties.
The announcement comes as the United Nations political mission in Somalia closed on Saturday after more than three decades of successive missions. UN humanitarian agencies remain present, and another office continues to provide logistical support to African Union troops and certain Somali units.
AUSSOM, launched in January 2025, succeeded ATMIS and AMISOM. Contingents from Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Egypt also participated in the successive African deployments in Somalia.
