By Alexander Luyima | April 2025

> “When you send your sons to fight a war that isn’t yours, make sure you know what you’re bringing back home — bullets or burdens.”
— Dr. Sarah Tumwine, Political Analyst, Makerere University

In 2007, Uganda proudly led the African Union’s boots-on-the-ground mission in Somalia (AMISOM), later rebranded as ATMIS. It was a moment of continental leadership — a beacon of African-to-African solidarity against terrorism and civil collapse.

Today, nearly two decades later, Ugandan troops are still deployed, despite shifting mandates, unmet objectives, and rising costs. The original goal — peace in Somalia — remains frustratingly out of reach. Meanwhile, the United States’ latest foreign aid cuts, spearheaded by the Trump administration, have exposed just how fragile, and perhaps disingenuous, this mission truly is.

A House of Cards Held Up by Foreign Dollars

Uganda’s involvement in Somalia has long been subsidized by foreign aid and military reimbursements — primarily from the U.S., EU, and the United Nations. These funds have kept soldiers paid, equipment rolling, and Kampala in good standing with the West.

But with U.S. aid now being slashed by hundreds of millions, the illusion of sustainability is crumbling.

> “It was never about Somalia. It was about maintaining leverage with Washington,” says Joseph Okello, a former UPDF logistics officer turned whistleblower. “When the aid dries up, so does the justification.”

Peacekeeping or a Convenient Excuse?

In recent years, the UPDF’s stay in Somalia has attracted scrutiny — and not just from watchdogs abroad.

Civilian casualties and allegations of resource looting have surfaced in Somali media.

UN reports hint at mission overreach, lack of transparency, and unclear strategic direction.

AMISOM’s transition to ATMIS in 2022 was supposed to signal a gradual exit. Yet here we are in 2025, with no clear end in sight.

> “We are not peacekeepers anymore. We are occupying a battlefield that benefits foreign contracts and political survival back home,” says Dr. James Mugabi, a security researcher at the Centre for African Policy Studies.

The Real Cost: Ugandans at Home Are Paying the Price

As Uganda stretches its military muscles abroad, its domestic core is buckling.

Teachers strike for unpaid salaries.

Hospitals run out of basic drugs.

Thousands of youth languish unemployed, while the state funds military operations far from home.

Ironically, the burden of survival is now shifting to the Ugandan diaspora, whose remittances have overtaken aid flows in some sectors.

> “Diaspora dollars are now doing what foreign aid used to do — feeding families, paying school fees, and starting small businesses,” says Lydia Nantume, a diaspora coordinator based in Toronto.

A Shift in Global Strategy, and Uganda Left Exposed

The U.S. under Trump has made clear: “America First” means Africa comes last — especially nations that rely on aid but fail to deliver measurable outcomes.

Countries like Uganda, once considered strategic partners, are now left to recalculate their foreign policy posture, and even their domestic military doctrine.

Without U.S. dollars:

Peacekeeping allowances will disappear.

The AU may withdraw logistical support.

Regional missions could collapse or fall into chaos.

The Questions We Must Ask Ourselves Now

Is it worth keeping our sons and daughters deployed in a war we are neither winning nor owning?

Are we still peacekeepers, or have we become pawns in global chess games?

What would Uganda’s economy and social systems look like if the same level of commitment was made to youth employment, clean water, and health?

Conclusion: Bring the Focus Home

Uganda no longer has the luxury of distraction. The war we must now fight is internal — against poverty, corruption, and broken priorities. The “glory” of peacekeeping has been replaced by the burden of unsustainable ambitions and empty foreign promises.

> “Uganda cannot build Somalia while Uganda bleeds,” says Doreen K, diaspora human rights advocate and organizer in Ontario. “It’s time to bring our troops home, and bring our focus home.”

The peace Uganda needs most isn’t in Mogadishu. It’s in Mbale, Gulu, Arua, and Kamwokya.

Let’s reclaim it — soldier by soldier, policy by policy.

About the Author:
Alexander Luyima is a diaspora-based journalist, community mobilizer, and Director of Community Programs for African Descent Ontario (ADSON). He writes regularly on diaspora policy, migration, and African geopolitics.