AU, UN urged to expedite deployment of Egyptian Troops in Somalia

KAMPALA - An extraordinary meeting of heads of governments sitting in Kampala has called for a speedy deployment of Egyptian troops to Somalia.

Under the chairmanship of President Yoweri Museveni, the leaders underscored the need to finalize the African Union and United Nations procedures to expedite the deployment of the Egyptian troops to boost the efforts of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSSOM) and the Somalia Defence Forces.

The heads of government also directed the Chiefs of Defence Forces of the troop-contributing Countries plus Somalia to work out a comprehensive plan to deter, degrade and eliminate Al Shabaab.

Uganda's President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni giving closing remarks. (All Photos by Miriam Namutebi)

The summit was convened on Friday at State House Entebbe by Museveni at the request of Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

The purpose of the Summit was to discuss the prevailing security situation in Somalia.
Uganda was the first country to contribute troops to the Somalia peace efforts under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), with over 6,000 troops in 2007, and maintains thousands more under AUSSOM.

However, despite AUSSOM's importance to the peace efforts there, the country continues to face several operational challenges, including dwindling funding amid the undeterred resistance from Al Shabaab. 

According to AU’s political affairs, peace and security office, AUSSOM has a total staff of 11,146 men and women serving in the force. They need a total of $15m to operate for a month but currently have only $16m for a whole year.

“The head of government underscored the importance of increasing the AUSSOM troops on a bilateral basis in the short run to address the prevailing security situation in Somalia, so as not to roll back the hard-earned gains made so far,” the leaders said in a joint communique which was read on Friday by Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Vincent Bagiire Waiswa.

The heads of state reaffirmed their commitment to continue to support the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in its stabilization efforts in the spirit of Pan –Africanism.

They also stressed the need to increase Air Assets, capabilities and Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISRs) as force multipliers, and further underscored the importance of using all available assets in a coordinated manner.

The Summit was preceded by the Ministerial and Senior Officials’ Meetings from 22nd - 24th April 2025 at Mestil Hotel, Kampala, where a Ministerial report was adopted and presented to the Heads of State and Government.

The leaders encouraged the Federal Government of Somalia to strengthen civil-military coordination, prioritizing humanitarian relief and quick-impact stabilization projects in recovered territories to consolidate security gains and foster enduring community trust.

They stressed the importance of recruiting Community/ Local Defence Forces (LDFs) and mobile forces to hold and consolidate the areas that were liberated and reaffirmed the need to establish mechanisms for countering extremist narratives to counter Al Shabaab propaganda by promoting interests as opposed to identity.