From AU to UN, East Africa holds the line as peace missions shrink

East African countries remain pivotal to global peace operations despite declining numbers and funding. Uganda topped the 2025 global troop contributions, ahead of Nepal, Bangladesh, and India, according to a SIPRI report. Rwanda, Ethiopia, Burundi, and Kenya also rank in the top ten. Uganda has sustained the AU's largest deployment in Somalia since 2007 with 4,500 troops.