UPDF Begins Somalia Withdrawal as Uganda Sets 2027 Exit Deadline

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has officially commenced a phased military exit from Somalia, marking the beginning of the end for nearly two decades of Ugandan peace and stabilization operations in the Horn of Africa nation.

Col Chris Magezi, the Acting Director of Defence Public Information, announced that the first cohort of troops deployed under bilateral security arrangements has already returned home to Uganda. The initial bilateral withdrawal phase is scheduled to conclude within the next few days.

Beyond these bilateral rotations, the UPDF intends to systematically withdraw all remaining Ugandan personnel, including those serving under the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), by the close of 2027. This milestone will hand full national security responsibilities over to the Somali Armed Forces.

The drawdown aligns with shifting political dynamics and growing calls from Mogadishu for foreign peacekeepers to depart. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has previously expressed confidence in his country’s military capabilities, suggesting that local forces are fully prepared to tackle remaining security challenges independently.

Simultaneously, Somalia has pivoted toward strengthened bilateral partnerships with international allies like Turkey, which maintains an extensive military footprint including the TURKSOM training facility, naval assets, and recently deployed F-16 fighter jets.

Uganda made history in 2007 by becoming the pioneering troop contributor under the original African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which subsequently evolved into ATMIS and later AUSSOM in 2025. Over the last twenty years, UPDF soldiers have formed the backbone of the fight against Al-Shabaab insurgents, helping to establish fragile stability in the region.

Read the full report on Nile Post.