African Union troop contributors seek 8,000 extra soldiers for Somalia mission

Troop-contributing countries to the African Union’s new mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) on Friday called for an additional 8,000 soldiers to address the country’s security challenges and protect gains made under previous operations.

The leaders of Uganda, Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Somalia held a summit in Kampala, chaired by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, where they agreed that extra forces were necessary to reinforce the initial AUSSOM proposal of 11,900 troops.

In a communique, the leaders said there was an urgent need to consider allowing bilateral deployments to supplement AUSSOM, a move that could pave the way for non-AU countries, such as Turkey, to contribute forces. Ethiopia, which already maintains thousands of troops in Somalia under a separate bilateral arrangement, would also continue its parallel operations.

The Kampala summit was attended by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Kenyan Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Djiboutian Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and Ethiopian Defence Minister Ayisha Mehamed Musa.

The push for more troops comes as AUSSOM faces funding shortfalls, raising concerns about the mission’s ability to sustain operations. Somalia continues to host a number of foreign forces outside the AU framework, notably Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) units operating in various federal states.

While leaders emphasised the need for bolstering security, critics questioned whether increasing the number of foreign troops would fundamentally change the situation on the ground. Despite nearly two decades of international military presence, Al-Shabaab still controls large parts of southern and central Somalia.

Foreign forces deployed under AU mandates have generally focused on defensive postures, guarding key cities from fortified bases rather than conducting offensive operations. Analysts argue that this strategy has proved ineffective against Al-Shabaab’s guerrilla tactics, which rely on embedding fighters within local communities to launch attacks.