Pulse Uganda has learned that the forces, which have been operating under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), will begin a gradual pullout from the war-torn country on June 30, 2023.
A source familiar with the new development has revealed that each of the five contributing countries has a quota of troops to take home.
"This new development means that each contributing country will be sending home at least a quota of their army men," he said, further revealing that the first withdrawal phase aims to send home 2000 army men by September this year.
The source also revealed that the withdrawal, which started with Burundi’s handing over of the Forward Operating Base at Xaaji Caali to SNA, is to be fully completed by December 2024.
ATMIS has five members contributing to the cause. These include Uganda with 6,000 troops, Burundi with 5,400, Kenya with 3,600, Ethiopia with 4,400, and Djibouti with 960. This brings the total number of troops under the mission to 22,000.
This new development comes against the backdrop of a recent attack on a base housing Ugandan troops. The attack, as President Museveni revealed in a statement, left 54 Ugandan army men dead.
There have also been calls from some Ugandan legislators, most especially from the opposition, to have the Ugandan army withdraw from Somalia.
The legislators argued that the government’s decision to deploy the UPDF on foreign missions has stretched the country’s security functions, which in turn has led to rogues taking advantage of the situation to wreak havoc.