Uganda starts Somalia troop withdrawal, army says

Uganda has begun withdrawing troops from Somalia and plans to pull out all its forces there by the end of 2027, the Ugandan army said Monday.

The Uganda People's Defence Forces said the drawdown had begun immediately for troops deployed under bilateral arrangements with Somalia's federal government. It said the gradual withdrawal would also cover forces deployed under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia.

Uganda was the first country to send troops to Somalia after the African Union created an international mission in March 2007 to fight Islamist insurgents. It has remained a major contributor through successive AU missions.

Uganda had 4,500 to 6,000 troops in Somalia as part of the latest African Union mission and another 2,000 to 2,500 under a bilateral agreement.

The army said the withdrawal would end Uganda's 20-year peace and stabilisation operations in Somalia and allow Somali forces to take full responsibility for security.

The future of international operations in Somalia has been put in doubt after key backers, including the United States, withdrew funding. The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group still controls large areas of central Somalia.