Uganda Announces Full Troop Withdrawal from Somalia by August 2027, Ending 20-Year Deployment

Ugandan army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced on Friday, August 28, 2026, that the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) will completely withdraw from Somalia by August 1, 2027, stating on X: 'We are leaving Somalia completely on August 1, 2027. There will be no UPDF troops in Somalia after that day.' Uganda has contributed continuously to the AU mission since the first AMISOM deployment in March 2007 and remains its single largest troop-contributing country, with roughly 6,000 soldiers at peak strength, responsible for the Mogadishu sector including the Halane base near Aden Adde International Airport. The announcement lands amid an accelerating funding crisis for AUSSOM: the United States notified the African Union on July 1, 2026 that it will not fund UNSOS — the mission's logistics backbone — beyond AUSSOM's December 31, 2026 mandate expiry, and UNSOS began visibly executing its drawdown the week of August 25 with staff terminations and equipment auctions. A confirmed Ugandan exit would strip AUSSOM of one of its most experienced and heavily committed contingents just as the mission's long-term funding and troop base are already in question.