Uganda Begins Somalia Troop Withdrawal as Ethiopia Weighs Pullback

  As we promised, we have started withdrawing UPDF from Somalia. After 20 years of a lot of blood and sacrifice we are handing over security to our Somali brothers.— Muhoozi Kainerugaba (@mkainerugaba) October 29, 2026 //   On Wednesday, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda's chief of defence forces, said Uganda had begun withdrawing its troops from Somalia. "After 20 years of a lot of blood and sacrifice, we are handing over security to our Somali brothers," Kainerugaba said. The move comes amid renewed fighting in southern Somalia and uncertainty over the future of international security support as key missions approach their scheduled end dates. On Monday, heavy clashes were reported near Burhakaba in the Bay region. Somalia's federal government also rejected claims that Turkish aircraft had mistakenly struck Somali troops during the fighting. Separately, U.S. forces reportedly left the Baledogle airfield in Lower Shabelle several days ago, according to two sources familiar with the development. The United States had maintained a presence at the facility since 2012. The airfield is now under the control of Uganda's People's Defence Force and Somali National Army, one source said. Ethiopia is also reportedly considering withdrawing between 3,000 and 4,500 troops operating in Somalia outside the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM). Those forces were deployed across parts of Bay, Bakool and Hiiraan, according to reports. Neither the Ethiopian nor Somali government has officially confirmed the reported plan. However, political disagreements over elections and the country's future governance remain unresolved, adding to concerns about the ability of Somali forces to maintain security without sustained international support. Uganda's announcement and the possibility of an Ethiopian pullback could therefore place additional pressure on Somalia's security institutions as the country prepares for changes in its international military and political support.