BBC News: Uganda has begun withdrawing its troops from Somalia after nearly two decades of military involvement in the country.
The first contingent of 109 Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) troops reportedly left the capital, Mogadishu, on Friday, following an announcement by Uganda’s army chief, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Uganda was the first African country to deploy troops to Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), which was established in 2007 to help protect the country’s transitional government from attacks by Islamist militants.
Last week, Gen Muhoozi said Uganda had begun pulling out its troops and would hand over security responsibilities to Somali forces.
The withdrawal is being carried out in phases and is expected to be completed in August 2027.
However, Uganda is not ending its entire military involvement in Somalia.
Its troops deployed under a separate bilateral security arrangement will remain in the country.
An estimated 4,500 troops are in Somalia under the Africa Union mission, alongside about 2,000 deployed through bilateral arrangements.
Somalia has been battling a prolonged and deadly insurgency led al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, for more than two decades.
