Sub-Saharan Africa Military Deployments

This page covers publicly reported military deployments in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Aden, Central Africa and Southern Africa. It lists foreign forces sent to the region, force movements within it and major exercises, each with its deploying country, status, date and sources.

Deploying	Host or area	Branch	Forces and personnel	Status	Date	Verified	Sources
Uganda	Somalia	🪖 Ground forces	Uganda: UPDF bilateral and AUSSOM troops (AUSSOM allocation 4,500) Not disclosed	Withdrawn	Nov 2, 2026	Nov 2, 2026	The Observer (Uganda) Watchdog Uganda +2 more
Algeria	Niger	🪖 Ground forces	Algeria: National People’s Army units to Niger Not disclosed	Confirmed active	Oct 31, 2026	Oct 31, 2026	RFI Reuters (via ThePrint) +4 more
Egypt	Somalia	🪖 Ground forces	Egypt: brigade-sized battle group (AUSSOM allocation 1,091) Not disclosed	Confirmed active	Oct 27, 2026	Oct 27, 2026	allAfrica Dawan Africa
South Africa	South Africa	🪖 Ground forces	South Africa: South African National Defence Force members (Operation Prosper) to KwaZulu-Natal province, in support of the police 510 soldiers Confirmed figure	Confirmed active	Oct 27, 2026	Oct 27, 2026	The Presidency of South Africa AP
Russia	Mali	🪖 Ground forces	Russia: Africa Corps Not disclosed	Confirmed active	Oct 22, 2026	Oct 22, 2026	Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch
Burundi	Democratic Republic of the Congo	🪖 Ground forces	Burundi: army (FDNB) battalions Not disclosed	Confirmed active	Oct 21, 2026	Oct 21, 2026	Critical Threats
South Korea	Gulf of Aden	🚢 Naval forces	South Korea: Cheonghae Unit, 49th rotation: destroyer ROKS Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin, a naval … Not disclosed	Confirmed active	Oct 16, 2026	Oct 16, 2026	The Korea Herald Korea JoongAng Daily
Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya	Somalia	🪖 Ground forces	Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya: AUSSOM contingents Not disclosed	Announced or pending	Sep 1, 2026	Sep 1, 2026	Dawan Africa
China	Gulf of Aden	🚢 Naval forces	China: 49th naval escort task force: destroyer Kunming, frigate Yueyang, supply ship … Not disclosed	Confirmed active	Aug 11, 2026	Aug 11, 2026	The Maritime Executive
Rwanda	Mozambique	🪖 Ground forces	Rwanda: Rwanda Defence Force and National Police Not disclosed	Confirmed active	Jul 30, 2026	Jul 30, 2026	The New Times Reuters via Engineering News
Turkey	Somalia	🪖 Ground forces	Turkey: training, air and ground units, including F-16s Not disclosed	Withdrawn	Jul 22, 2026	Jul 22, 2026	Turkish Minute Africanews
India	South Sudan	🪖 Ground forces	Indian peacekeepers with UNMISS in South Sudan 565 awarded the UN Medal in Malakal, including 53 women Official announcement	Confirmed active	Jun 2, 2026	Jun 2, 2026	Telangana Today (PTI), citing UNMISS (June 2, 2026)
Turkey	Somalia	🏳️ Joint or multiple branches	TURKSOM: Turkish forces in Somalia Not disclosed	Confirmed active	Apr 16, 2026	Apr 16, 2026	YetkinReport, citing Turkish Ministry of National Defence sources (Apr. 16, 2026)
South Korea	Sudan	🪖 Ground forces	South Korea: Hanbit Unit (UN mission in South Sudan) and Dongmyeong Unit (UN mission in Leb… Not disclosed	Confirmed active	Mar 2, 2026	Mar 2, 2026	The Asia Business Daily KEI
France	Gulf of Guinea	🚢 Naval forces	Mission Corymbe: French navy in the Gulf of Guinea 450 Official announcement	Confirmed active	Apr 22, 2025	Apr 22, 2025	French Ministry of the Armed Forces: operational commitments (page updated Apr. 22, 2025)
France	Djibouti	🏳️ Joint or multiple branches	French forces in Djibouti 1,500 Official announcement	Confirmed active	Apr 22, 2025	Apr 22, 2025	French Ministry of the Armed Forces: operational commitments (page updated Apr. 22, 2025)
Japan	Djibouti	🪖 Ground forces	Japan: Counter-piracy air unit (DAPE) and support group (DGPE) Not disclosed	Confirmed active	—	—	Japan Ministry of Defense

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Public information only, linked to its source. Estimates and claims are labeled, and locations are given at country or sea-area level. See the full deployments directory or the Military Deployments Tracker.