Uganda has begun withdrawing its troops from Somalia, marking the start of a phased military exit from the East African country after nearly two decades of security and stabilisation operations.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) announced the development in a statement issued in Kampala on Monday, November 2, 2026, and signed by its Acting Director of Defence Public Information, Colonel Chris Magezi.
According to the statement, the withdrawal of troops deployed under bilateral security arrangements with the Federal Government of Somalia took effect immediately, with the first group of soldiers already arriving back in Uganda.
The military said the operation involving personnel deployed under the bilateral arrangements would be completed within the next few days.
Uganda also disclosed plans to withdraw all its remaining forces from Somalia, including troops serving under the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), by the end of 2027.
The planned withdrawal will bring to an end Uganda’s military support operations in Somalia, allowing the Somali Armed Forces to take full responsibility for the country’s security, according to the UPDF.
Uganda was the first country to deploy troops to Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in March 2007. The deployment was part of international efforts to support the Somali government in its fight against the al-Shabaab militant group, which has sustained an insurgency against the government for nearly two decades.
AMISOM was replaced by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in April 2022, before the current AUSSOM mission commenced in January 2025.
