Uganda has begun withdrawing troops stationed in Somalia under a bilateral security agreement, with the first group of soldiers already returning to the country.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) announced the development in a statement released in Kampala on Monday, November 2, 2026, and signed by its Acting Director of Defence Public Information, Colonel Chris Magezi.
“The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has embarked on the drawdown of troops deployed in Somalia under bilateral arrangements with the Federal Government effective immediately,” the statement also shared on X said.
The military confirmed that the initial group of soldiers involved in the exercise had arrived in Uganda, adding that “the first cohort of troops under the phased withdrawal operation have already arrived back in Uganda.”
It further stated that the withdrawal of personnel deployed under the bilateral arrangements would be concluded within the next few days.
Beyond the ongoing exercise, Uganda announced its intention to pull out all remaining troops from Somalia, including those serving under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), by the end of 2027.
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“The UPDF will gradually withdraw all its forces in Somalia, including those currently deployed under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) by the close of 2027,” the statement said.
According to the military, the planned exit “will mark the end of Uganda’s enduring 20-year peace and stabilization support operations in Somalia, permitting the Somali Armed Forces to assume full responsibility for security in the country.”
Uganda’s defence authorities said the country made history in March 2007 as the first to deploy troops to Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
The deployment was intended to support the Somali government in its battle against al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group that has sustained an insurgency against the government for nearly two decades.
AMISOM was succeeded by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in April 2022, before the latter was replaced by AUSSOM in January 2025.