At 5:45 a.m. on May 26, 2023, the sun was out in the sandy flatlands of Lower Shabelle, Somalia.
Corporal Shakira Namatovu, 29, a UPDF soldier from the Armored Division, was taking a nap when she was awoken by intense gunfire.
The Al Shabaab fighters had attacked the UPDF’s Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Bula Mareer.
A FOB is a fortified operational military position that acts as a strategic center for military operations against an enemy.
A FOB improves reaction time to local areas as opposed to having all troops on the main operating base.
This was Namatovu’s first mission in Somalia.
Considering that the country has seen relative peace in recent years, a surprise attack was the last thing on Namatovu’s mind.
“We have had many missions to Somalia with our soldiers returning without firing a single shot,” said a defence official who preferred anonymity as this is a very sensitive matter.
“So, our soldiers were not only relaxed but didn’t really expect an attack of this magnitude.”
Armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, the Al Shabaab descended on the FOB with vigor.
A few minutes later, Ugandan soldiers started yelling, ‘Adui, Adui (the enemy has attacked us).’
Some Ugandan soldiers rushed to their defence positions to take out the enemy, but many had been caught off guard.
Action
Al Shabaab shot Ugandan soldiers at close range.
Seeing her comrades being felled by Al Shabaab gunfire, Cpl. Namatovu decided to run to her tank.
“The enemy (Al Shabaab) fired at Namatovu with a sub-machine gun, but she kept running until she dived toward her tank and started crawling,” recalled a senior official who is part of the investigation into the attack in which 54 Ugandan soldiers were killed.
Namatovu tried to use the tank’s main door, but the gunfire had become too intense for her to take such a risk.
The Al-Shabaab militants were moving closer to her.
Some UPDF soldiers tried to put up resistance but were no match for over 800 Islamic militants who had now broken through the Ugandan armed forces’ defences.
Surprised by the magnitude of the attack, the UPDF soldiers started panicking.
“Although unfortunate, this incident serves as a lesson to all,” said Museveni last week.
“The mistake was made by two commanders, Maj. Oluka and Maj. Obbo, who ordered the soldiers to retreat,” he said, adding, “There was panic.”
Museveni also blamed the attack on the Ugandan army base in Somalia on soldiers who were not well trained for combat missions and found themselves in the war-torn country through corrupt ways in the institution.
Defence officials say while Museveni is correct on corruption in enlisting soldiers for foreign missions, “nearly all UPDF’s departments such as the Air Force, artillery, mechanised, SFC, and logistics have representation there.”
Killed in action
Nevertheless, as gunfire raged, Namatovu unsuccessfully tried to access her tank’s door.
She then decided to use the escape hatch on the tank’s belly as Al Shabaab fired at the tank with small arms.
As Namatovu crawled under her tank, an Al-Shabaab fighter spotted her.
The militant hurled a grenade at the tank, killing Namatovu instantly.
“Namatovu was a hero,” said a source, adding, “Rarely do we see such bravery and a higher level of sacrifice and patriotism among women fighters.”
Soldiers who survived the attack said Namatovu had the option of running away from the camp but opted to fight and save her colleagues, who were being shot at close range.
Her dream of saving the lives of her comrades in arms cost her her own.
Born in Rubaare, Ntungamo, Namatovu is survived by two children and a husband, who is a teacher.
Namatovu’s family is waiting for her body to be buried in Ntungamo, South Western Uganda.