Uganda's army chief says the drawdown from Somalia has begun, and a first contingent of 109 soldiers has reportedly left Mogadishu. The move comes as the African Union mission faces funding cuts and an uncertain mandate.
Uganda has begun withdrawing its troops from Somalia, the chief of the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF), General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced on Thursday 29 October. "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, as reported by Hiiraan Online and the Daily Monitor.
First contingent leaves
A Kenya-registered aircraft chartered by Uganda left Mogadishu on Friday 30 October carrying 109 Ugandan soldiers, the first contingent to depart, Somali Guardian reported. It said the handover of forward operating bases in Lower Shabelle to the Somali army would continue until 4 November. Somali Guardian also reported that President Yoweri Museveni told Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, during a visit to Uganda on 26 October, that he would withdraw part of his forces before 15 November, rejecting a request to delay. That account has not been confirmed by either government.
Ugandan authorities have not said publicly how many troops will leave, which bases will be handed over or when the withdrawal will end, Hiiraan noted. It is not yet clear whether this is the start of a full national exit or a phased reduction coordinated with the AU and Mogadishu.
Funding pressures
Uganda is the largest troop contributor to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), with 4,500 authorised troops, and also has forces deployed under a bilateral agreement. The Daily Monitor said the drawdown follows notice from the United States in July that it would not support renewing AUSSOM's mandate at the UN Security Council in December. It also cited a 25% cut in funding from the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS). The AU Peace and Security Council has repeatedly warned that unpredictable financing threatens the mission, and has said that troop withdrawals should be based on conditions on the ground and coordinated with Somalia to avoid security gaps.
Ugandan forces first deployed in March 2007 as the lead contingent of AMISOM. They have held key river-crossing towns in Lower Shabelle that are important to the security of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab still operates across much of rural southern and central Somalia. The withdrawal also coincides with the closure of the UN's political mission in Somalia, UNTMIS, at the end of October.
Photo: A Ugandan soldier serving with AMISOM at a frontline position in Mogadishu, 2011. AMISOM Public Information, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.