The start of the withdrawal, the first group’s return and the end-2027 deadline were cross-checked against independent reporting by Reuters and the Associated Press, both of which quoted UPDF spokesperson Col. Chris Magezi. Reuters attributes an estimate of about 4,500 troops serving under AUSSOM to Ugandan state media and says the number deployed under the separate bilateral arrangement is unclear; this report does not present 4,500 as the total. The security warning for Lower Shabelle is attributed to an AUSSOM letter described by Reuters, not stated as a confirmed attack. AP reported that the separate UN political mission closed on Oct. 31 while UN logistical support for AU troops continues. Current-event AP and Reuters photographs were available only through licensing links, and no reuse license was obtained. Both images here are historical AMISOM photographs, dedicated to CC0 by AMISOM Public Information and reviewed on Wikimedia Commons; neither depicts the 2026 withdrawal.
The first group has returned to Uganda
Uganda has begun a phased withdrawal of troops from Somalia, where its forces have served in African Union missions since 2007. Military spokesman Col. Chris Magezi said the first group of soldiers sent under a bilateral security arrangement with Somalia had already returned home, according to Reuters and the Associated Press.
The bilateral drawdown is the first step in a broader departure. Magezi said Uganda plans to remove all its forces, including troops serving in the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), by the end of 2027. AUSSOM is the AU mission supporting Somali forces against the al-Shabab insurgency.
A warning about possible security gaps
The withdrawal is unfolding while Somali forces and their partners continue operations against al-Shabab, an armed group that has fought the federal government for about two decades. Reuters reported that an Oct. 31 letter from AUSSOM to the UN Support Office in Somalia warned that the drawdown could leave parts of the Lower Shabelle region vulnerable to attacks.
Somali State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar told Reuters the situation was not dire at the time, but a sudden pullout could create problems. The warning concerns a possible risk during the transition; it is not a report of an attack caused by the latest troop movement.
The handover comes during a wider transition
The troop withdrawal follows a separate change in Somalia’s international support. The United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia ended its operations on Oct. 31 after more than three decades of successive political missions, the Associated Press reported. UN aid agencies remain in the country, and a separate UN office continues logistics support for African Union troops and some Somali security units.
That distinction matters: the UN political mission’s closure does not itself end AUSSOM’s military role. Uganda’s forces are set to leave over more than a year, while the AU mission and Somali authorities continue to manage security arrangements.
The scale of the departure remains unclear
Reuters said Ugandan state media put the number of Ugandan troops serving under AUSSOM at about 4,500, but the number deployed separately under the bilateral agreement was not clear. The Associated Press described thousands of Ugandan troops as still deployed in Somalia. Neither report gives a confirmed combined total for the forces covered by the full withdrawal plan.
The end-2027 deadline gives Somalia and its partners time to plan a handover, but it does not by itself show how that transition will work in areas where Ugandan troops currently operate. The reported warning over Lower Shabelle highlights the security question that will accompany each phase of the drawdown.
Sources
2 references
- ReutersUganda says it has started withdrawing troops from SomaliaReported the phased drawdown, quoted the Ugandan military spokesperson, attributed the 4,500 AUSSOM troop estimate to state media, and described a mission warning about possible security gaps in Lower Shabelle. · 2026-11-02
- Associated PressUganda begins withdrawing peacekeeping troops that helped repel militants in SomaliaIndependently reported that the first cohort had returned, the projected end-2027 departure, the history of the AU deployment and the parallel closure of the UN political mission. · 2026-11-02
