The Commander of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF), General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has said that his country has begun withdrawing its troops from Somalia after 20 years of sacrifice.
In a post published on his X (formerly Twitter) account tonight, he said that security responsibilities would be handed over to Somali forces.
“We are handing over security to our Somali brothers,” General Muhoozi Kainerugaba said.
Ugandan troops have long been part of the African Union mission in Somalia, supporting the Federal Government in its efforts to maintain security and combat the Al-Shabaab militant group.
Uganda was the first African country to contribute troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), with its forces arriving in Mogadishu in March 2007.
On April 1, 2022, AMISOM was replaced by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). The mission’s mandate ended on December 31, 2024, and it was subsequently replaced on January 1, 2025, by the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
Uganda is the largest troop-contributing country in Somalia compared with the other countries participating in the mission.
