Ethiopia is planning to withdraw more than 3,000 troops from Somalia due to renewed fighting at home, putting pressure on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. According to Bloomberg, the troops could begin leaving Somalia in the coming weeks. The withdrawal has not been publicly confirmed by Ethiopia or Somalia, and the African Union has not announced any change to Ethiopia's deployment.
Ethiopia maintains forces in Somalia under two separate arrangements: as part of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), and through bilateral security agreements with Mogadishu. About 2,500 Ethiopian soldiers serve with AUSSOM, while additional Ethiopian troops are deployed separately under bilateral arrangements. The Ethiopian forces have operated in areas including Bay, Bakool, Gedo, and Hiiraan, many of which are close to the two countries' long border.
The reported plan comes as Ethiopia faces a sharp deterioration in its own security situation. Fighting has intensified in the northern Tigray region between federal forces and Tigrayan fighters, threatening to unravel a peace agreement signed in Pretoria in November 2022 that ended a two-year civil war. Recent clashes have included artillery fire and military movements around Mekelle and other parts of Tigray.
Tensions between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea have also escalated. Ethiopia this week expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats after accusing Asmara of supporting armed groups in Tigray. Eritrea rejected the accusations and severed diplomatic relations with Ethiopia. The renewed conflict adds to security pressures elsewhere in Ethiopia, including continuing violence involving armed groups in the Amhara region.
Ethiopia's military presence in Somalia stretches back nearly two decades. Ethiopian forces entered Somalia in large numbers in 2006 to support the internationally backed transitional government against the Islamic Courts Union and have remained an important part of regional efforts against al-Shabab. Ethiopian soldiers later served under successive African Union missions, including AMISOM and ATMIS, before AUSSOM began operations in January 2025.
The future of AUSSOM is already under scrutiny because of persistent concerns over financing and the pace at which Somali forces can assume responsibility for areas currently secured by African Union troops. African Union leaders meeting this year have repeatedly called for predictable and sustainable financing for the mission, warning that security gains could be jeopardized without adequate support for both AUSSOM and Somalia's security forces.
A Somali Defense Ministry official told Bloomberg that Mogadishu had received no notification from Addis Ababa regarding the withdrawal plan. The official stated, "Ethiopia has not informed us of any plan to withdraw its troops from Somalia." It was not immediately clear whether the reported withdrawal would affect the AUSSOM contingent, bilateral forces, or both.
Key points
- Ethiopia plans to withdraw over 3,000 troops from Somalia amid renewed fighting at home.
- The withdrawal has not been publicly confirmed by Ethiopia or Somalia.
- The African Union has not announced any change to Ethiopia's deployment.
