Uganda says its troops to remain in Somalia despite AU mission uncertainty
Uganda has announced that its troops will remain in Somalia under a bilateral agreement, despite uncertainty surrounding the future of the African Union's mission. The decision aims to maintain regional stability amid the ongoing threat from Al-Shabaab.
Why it matters
The shift in military presence highlights the complexities of regional security and the challenges of funding international peacekeeping missions in Africa.
Uganda says its troops to remain in Somalia despite AU mission uncertainty - Hiiraan Online
FILE PHOTO: Ugandan soldiers, part of the African Mission in Somalia peacekeepers, during a night street patrol in Mogadishu.
Uganda's defence minister said Friday its troops would remain in Somalia, despite growing uncertainty over the future of the African Union mission, under a pre-existing bilateral agreement. Somalia has been battling Al-Shabaab terrorists for around two decades.
Uganda has roughly 4,500 troops in the country under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), the leading force supporting the Somali army, and a further 2,000 under a bilateral agreement, a military source told AFP. However, the future of AUSSOM has been thrown into doubt after Washington announced it would end payments to the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), which provides crucial logistics to the mission, by the year's end.
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