Ethiopian troops serving under the African Union’s stabilization mission in Somalia have withdrawn from Buurhakaba, a strategically located town in the Bay region, ending a deployment that stretched back roughly 12 years, mission officials said.
The African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia, known as AUSSOM, said the forward operating base in Buurhakaba was formally handed over to the Somali National Army’s 60th Division, which will now oversee the base and take responsibility for security in the town and surrounding areas. Ethiopian forces had maintained a presence there since 2014, initially under earlier iterations of the African Union mission.
The pullout comes as AUSSOM works through a broader drawdown plan tied to its current mandate, which is set to expire at the end of this year, with any extension contingent on UN Security Council approval and continued funding. The mission has been under mounting financial strain, and sources close to the transition process say at least three additional towns are expected to see similar handovers to Somali forces in the coming weeks.
The withdrawal leaves Somalia’s federal government facing familiar pressure. Mogadishu has pushed for a two-year delay to the broader foreign troop drawdown, citing concerns that national forces are not yet equipped to fill the resulting security gaps — particularly in areas where al-Shabaab remains active. Officials have also warned that the transition could disrupt supply routes supporting the remaining AUSSOM contingents.
Buurhakaba sits along key transport corridors linking South West State to other parts of southern Somalia, making its security handover a closely watched test of whether Somali forces can hold ground independently as international troop numbers continue to shrink.
