KAMPALA, Uganda – Uganda’s influential military chief has called for a complete withdrawal of the country’s troops from Somalia, citing unverified claims of secret negotiations between the United States and the Al-Shabaab militant group.

The statement by General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of President Yoweri Museveni, casts fresh uncertainty on the future of the long-running African Union peacekeeping mission at a critical juncture for Somali security.

The explosive claim, which has not been independently confirmed and contradicts stated US policy, was reported on Thursday, July 10, 2025. It was reportedly first disseminated on social media by Colonel Chris Magezi, a military assistant to Gen. Kainerugaba.

“We even hear that the US has begun secret negotiations with Al Shabaab in Somalia,” the general was quoted as saying. “We will implore our great Commander-in-Chief to consider total withdrawal from Somalia after 18 years.”

Washington has designated Al-Shabaab, an affiliate of Al-Qaeda, as a terrorist organization since 2008. US policy has consistently focused on combating the group through military support for the Somali Federal Government and via its counter-terrorism operations, including frequent airstrikes.

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) reported conducting strikes against Al-Shabaab militants as recently as late June 2025, underscoring its official posture of direct military confrontation, not negotiation.

As of Thursday, the US Department of State had not issued a formal response to Kainerugaba’s specific allegation.

A mission in transition

The remarks from Uganda’s top general, who was appointed Chief of Defence Forces in March 2024, come at a precarious time for the international presence in Somalia. The Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) forms the backbone of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), having been the first foreign force to deploy to Mogadishu in 2007.

ATMIS and its predecessor, AMISOM, succeeded in pushing Al-Shabaab out of the capital and other major urban centers. However, the insurgents retain control over vast swathes of rural Somalia and continue to launch deadly attacks.

The mission is currently in a period of significant flux. A deadline for a full drawdown of ATMIS forces by December 31, 2024, has passed. A new, smaller follow-on mission, known as the AU Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), is struggling with significant funding shortfalls and logistical challenges.

Security analysts suggest Gen. Kainerugaba’s statement could serve multiple purposes. It may reflect genuine frustration within Kampala over the protracted and costly Somali deployment, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of Ugandan soldiers, most notably in a devastating attack on a UPDF base in Bulo Marer in May 2023.

However, the threat of withdrawal is also a familiar tactic for Kampala. President Museveni’s government has historically used such pronouncements as leverage to secure increased international funding for the mission or to register displeasure with the policies of its global partners.

“This could be a textbook message,” one regional security analyst noted. “President Museveni has previously hinted at pulling out whenever financial support from Washington or Brussels appeared to be dwindling, often resulting in renewed financial commitments to the mission.”

An assertive new leadership

The public and provocative nature of the statement is also characteristic of General Kainerugaba. The 51-year-old general, widely seen as a potential successor to his father, is known for his often erratic and undiplomatic posts on the social media platform X, which have previously sparked diplomatic incidents with neighboring countries.

His call for a withdrawal, framed as a response to perceived betrayal by a key ally, could signal a more assertive and potentially isolationist turn in the foreign policy of a nation that has long been a linchpin of regional security operations in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region.

While Uganda’s government has not yet officially endorsed the general’s call, the statement from the office of the Chief of Defence Forces has undeniably ignited a debate on the future of Uganda’s nearly two-decade-long commitment to stabilizing its volatile neighbor.

For now, Ugandan troops remain on the ground, but Kainerugaba’s words have sent a clear signal of Kampala’s growing impatience.