109 Ugandan soldiers leave Somalia
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Caasimada Online
A plane evacuated 109 Ugandan soldiers from Mogadishu, the first step in withdrawing some of the forces deployed in Somalia. Kampala plans to continue the departures before 15 November, as the African mission AUSSOM faces funding shortfalls, according to Caasimada Online.
An initial group of 109 Ugandan soldiers has left Mogadishu aboard a plane chartered by Uganda, reports Caasimada Online. The departure took place on 30 October at Aden Adde International Airport and marks the start of the withdrawal of some Ugandan forces deployed in Somalia.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni had informed his Somali counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud that his country would withdraw some of its troops by 15 November at the latest. The planned departures notably concern the Lower Shabelle region and are expected to accelerate at the beginning of November. They involve both soldiers deployed under a bilateral agreement and members of the African Union AUSSOM mission, tasked with supporting Somali forces and contributing to the country’s stabilisation.
The withdrawal comes as AUSSOM faces funding difficulties and uncertainty over international support. Uganda was the first country to send soldiers to Somalia, in 2007, as part of the African Union’s AMISOM mission. It was replaced by ATMIS in 2022, and then by AUSSOM on 1 January 2025.
