Foreign forces in Somalia

In short

Besides the African Union missions (AMISOM, ATMIS and AUSSOM), several states have sent or trained forces in Somalia on their own terms. This page lists them by country, from the sources, without taking sides on whether each deployment was welcome.

Ethiopia

Full page: Ethiopia's military in Somalia. Ethiopian troops entered Somalia in strength in December 2006, at the request of the Transitional Federal Government, and drove the Islamic Courts Union from Mogadishu (Council on Foreign Relations, Al-Shabaab backgrounder). Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on 24 December 2006 that Ethiopia had been compelled to act to protect its sovereignty. Estimates of the force range from 4,000 (the Ethiopian government) to 50,000 or more; an insurgency grew from early 2007, and Ethiopian forces withdrew from Mogadishu in January 2009 (Wikipedia, War in Somalia (2006–2009)). The CFR records the view that the intervention helped radicalise al-Shabaab (CFR). Ethiopian troops later joined the AU missions, and others serve outside them, as in Gedo (see Jubaland security forces).

Kenya

Full page: Kenya's military in Somalia. On 16 October 2011 Kenyan forces crossed into southern Somalia in Operation Linda Nchi, saying they aimed to create a buffer against al-Shabaab after kidnappings near the border. About 2,400 troops crossed at first. Kenya agreed in November 2011 to place its forces under AMISOM, which it formally joined in June 2012. Kismayo was taken on 28 September 2012 by AMISOM, the Somali army and the Ras Kamboni militia (Wikipedia, Operation Linda Nchi, citing Reuters, the BBC and the International Crisis Group). See Raskamboni movement.

United States

Full page: The United States military in Somalia. The CFR records more than 275 reported US air strikes under the first Trump administration against 60 in the eight Obama years, the deployment of regular US troops from 2017, the withdrawal of about 700 personnel at the end of that term, and the return of several hundred troops in mid-2022. It also records that the US suspended aid to most Somali units from 2017 to 2019 over corruption concerns (CFR). The US-trained Danab commando brigade is described on the Somali National Army page. Stanford's Mapping Militants project counted about 30 US strikes from January to May 2025 (see the offensive against al-Shabaab, 2022–2025).

Turkey

Full page: Turkey's military in Somalia. Turkey opened a military training base, Camp TURKSOM, in Mogadishu in 2017 (Reuters, 1 October 2017). It trains the army's Gorgor battalions, has flown armed drones from Mogadishu since late 2022, and in 2025 sent attack helicopters that Turkish officials said remained under Turkish control (Wikipedia, Somali Armed Forces). Turkish mediation produced the Ankara Declaration between Somalia and Ethiopia on 11 December 2024 (see AUSSOM).

United Arab Emirates

Full page: The United Arab Emirates' military in Somalia. The Associated Press reported that the UAE began training Somali soldiers in 2014, paid the salaries of 2,407 of them and worked with an anti-piracy force in Puntland. On 8 April 2018 Somali security forces seized US$9.6 million in cash from a UAE aircraft at Mogadishu airport; Somalia said the money was undeclared, and the UAE said its soldiers were held at gunpoint. On 15 April 2018 the UAE ended its training mission (Defense News, AP, 17 April 2018). See Puntland security forces.

Egypt, Eritrea and others

The two largest AU contingents have their own pages: Uganda's military in Somalia and Burundi's military in Somalia. See also Djibouti's military in Somalia.

Full pages: Egypt's military in Somalia and Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Somalia announced in August 2024 that Egyptian forces would join the new AU mission; Egypt's allocation was 1,091 personnel, and it deployed troops, helicopters and aircraft in early 2026 (see AUSSOM). About 5,000 Somali recruits trained in Eritrea from 2019 began returning in December 2022 (full page: Eritrea and Somalia). The European Union's training mission has trained about 7,000 soldiers since 2010 (full page: The UK and the EU in Somalia), and Qatar, the UK, Italy and Uganda have also funded or trained Somali forces (see Somali National Army).

Sources differ

• Ethiopia, 2006. Ethiopia and the transitional government called it a response to an Islamic Courts threat; Wikipedia's account of the war describes the two years that followed as an occupation (Wikipedia, War in Somalia (2006–2009)).
• Size of the Ethiopian force. From 4,000 (Ethiopia) to 50,000–60,000 (other estimates).
• The UAE cash, 2018. Somalia called it undeclared money; the UAE said it was for paying Somali soldiers.

Read the primary sources yourself

• Council on Foreign Relations, Al-Shabaab backgrounder: page.
• Associated Press, "UAE stops training Somalia's military after cash seizure" (2018), via Defense News: article.