The first contingent of 109 troops of the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) left Mogadishu on Friday, following an announcement by Uganda's army chief, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

The withdrawal is being carried out in phases and is expected to be completed in August 2027. Around 4,500 Ugandan troops are stationed in Somalia as part of the African Union mission (AUSSOM), as well as about 2,000 deployed under bilateral agreements. Uganda was the first African country to deploy troops to Somalia, under the African Union mission established in 2007 to help protect the country's transitional government from attacks by Islamist militants. Uganda's army said the withdrawal will mark the end of its 20-year peace and stabilization operations and permit the Somali Armed Forces to assume full responsibility for security in the country.