After a military deployment spanning nearly two decades, Uganda began withdrawing its forces from Somalia on Monday, citing economic pressures, international budget cuts for operations in the region, and the local president’s refusal to extend the deployment—despite direct requests from Somalia’s president.
Uganda was the first African nation to send troops to Somalia in 2007 to fight the al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group al-Shabaab and stabilize the local government. The African nation is considered the largest troop contributor to the security mission, maintaining between 5,000 and 6,000 soldiers in the region over the years.
During the past two decades of military involvement in the region, at least 3,500 African Union soldiers have been killed in Somalia. The force comprises several continental nations including Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, and Ethiopia. Uganda’s Chief of Defense Forces addressed his forces’ departure, saying that after twenty years of “sacrifice and much bloodshed,” his country is transferring security responsibility to local Somali command.
Withdrawal Phases
The first phase of the troop withdrawal will begin in the coming days and include approximately 2,000 to 2,500 Ugandan soldiers deployed under direct bilateral agreements between Uganda’s capital, Kampala, and Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. Meanwhile, a Ugandan military spokesperson confirmed that the remainder of their forces—numbering between 4,500 and 6,000 soldiers, including those working to stabilize the situation in Somalia—will exit the country completely by the end of next year.
Ugandan army soldiers | Photo: Shutterstock
Years of Bloodshed in Somalia
During Uganda’s military involvement in Somalia, al-Shabaab viewed their presence in the region as “an invasion by foreign forces” and marked the country as a top target for revenge attacks. One of the group’s major attacks occurred in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, in 2010, when several operatives carried out a suicide bombing during mass viewing of the World Cup final, killing 76 people.
Meanwhile, al-Shabaab waged a sustained war of attrition against Ugandan soldiers in Somalia. The most prominent attack was carried out in May 2023 at the African Union base in Bulo Marer, located 150 kilometers southwest of the capital Mogadishu, where the group’s militants managed to kill at least 54 Ugandan soldiers.
Diplomats and security officials warn that the departure of Ugandan forces from Somalia could create a security vacuum in the Lower Shabelle region, located close to the capital Mogadishu and considered one of the country’s most fertile and agriculturally important areas—potentially exposing the capital to renewed attacks by al-Shabaab.