Gen Muhoozi Sets August 2027 Deadline for Complete UPDF Withdrawal From Somalia

Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has announced that the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) will completely withdraw from Somalia by August 1, 2027.

“We are withdrawing completely from Somalia by the 1st of August 2027. They will not be UPDF in Somalia after that,” Gen. Muhoozi said.

The announcement sets a firm deadline for the end of Uganda’s military presence in Somalia, where Ugandan troops have been deployed since 2007 under successive African Union missions.

Uganda was the first country to deploy troops to Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), later transitioning to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and the current African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).

The declaration comes against the backdrop of growing concerns over the financing and sustainability of the Somalia mission.

At an extraordinary meeting of Chiefs of Defence Forces from AUSSOM troop-contributing countries held in Kampala in July, Gen. Muhoozi warned that declining international support was placing pressure on operations in Somalia.

He said financial constraints were already affecting frontline operations and called on African countries to develop sustainable, African-led mechanisms to finance and support the mission.

The United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) is also scheduled to end its operations by December 31, 2026, adding pressure on troop-contributing countries to establish alternative logistical and financial arrangements.

Uganda’s involvement in Somalia has come at a significant cost, with UPDF troops playing a central role in fighting Al-Shabaab and securing key areas, including Mogadishu and major supply routes.

Gen. Muhoozi had previously threatened a complete withdrawal over funding concerns, saying in February 2026 that Uganda could pull out unless serious discussions were held to address financing for its Somalia mission.

The latest announcement, however, provides a specific date for the withdrawal: August 1, 2027.

The planned exit would bring to an end more than two decades of Uganda’s military involvement in Somalia and could significantly reshape the security architecture of the country, particularly as Somali forces continue efforts to assume greater responsibility for national security.