From Nakivale refugee camps: Lt. Dr. Namagga’s dedicated healing mission in Somalia
“We work with several Somali doctors. They’re under Danab, and we work well with them. It’s been good working with them because when the civilians come and they see a familiar face, someone from home, it enables us to also be able to handle them with ease," Lt. Dr. Namagga stated during the interview.
Lt. Dr. Victoria Namagga interacting with one of the patients at the hospital in Mogadishu. (Credit: AU)
MOGADISHU - Every day, the field hospital in Mogadishu, operated by the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), comes alive as patients seek treatment and hope for recovery.
At the facility, the medics juggle clinical rounds, outpatient care, and attending to patients from the emergency ward to the operating theatre for surgeries, rarely pausing for rest. Days off are a luxury, AUSSOM media reports.
Amidst this tireless medical team is Lt. Dr. Victoria Namagga, who leads the medical component of the AUSSOM Uganda Battle Group 44.
In 2019, Namagga was a medical intern at Nakivale refugee settlement in western Uganda, where she cared for refugees and witnessed firsthand the weight of their daily struggles.
Lt. Dr. Victoria Namagga of the AUSSOM Uganda Battle Group 44.(African Union photos)
The hardships among the refugees and asylum seekers in Uganda left a mark on her heart.
In 2021, Namagga’s journey into the military began.
“I purposed to be part of something bigger than myself, where I can make a difference in someone’s life. When the opportunity presented itself, calls came in 2021 for people to join the army. I thought this could be a platform for me to, you know, bring up my humanitarian side,” she added in a recent interview with the media team.
The hospital treats AUSSOM personnel from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, while also supporting local communities.
Medics are the heartbeat of AUSSOM, saving the lives of troops and handling the steady flow of civilians who flood the field hospitals seeking treatment and care.
Lt. Dr. Victoria Namagga and a colleague during surgery at a hospital in Mogadishu.
The medics are also vital to the mission’s success through their support for civil-military cooperation activities aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the Somali people.
“We see civilians coming from very far corners of Somalia, coming here to seek healthcare.
And when they come here, they have this hope, this confidence that they’re going to get the solution that they’re looking for,” she says Namagga.
For AUSSOM soldiers, deployment to Somalia comes with living amidst a steady undercurrent of anxiety, never certain if they could be a casualty or a survivor.
In the Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), especially on the frontline, the crack of heavy artillery becomes a daily occurrence.
Lt. Dr. Victoria Namagga leading the medical team during a hospital inspection by the AUSSOM Uganda Battle Group 44.
“I’m very passionate about being a doctor and being able to just serve people and put colour in their lives. When the civilians come, and then they go back smiling, they are thankful to our services. I just wake up feeling motivated,” she remarks.
The facility treats many ailments, including trauma, battle wounds, dengue fever, malaria, hernias, surgeries, congenital disorders, and burns.
For Lt. Dr. Namagga, working in Somalia has meant hands-on experience and lessons she will carry back to her home country, Uganda, when her tour of duty ends. These experiences have shaped her character and resilience.
Her team collaborates with Somali military doctors from the Danab special forces, sharing knowledge and learning side by side.
Lt. Dr. Victoria Namagga during one of the rounds at a hospital in Mogadishu.
“We work with several Somali doctors. They’re under Danab, and we work well with them. It’s been good working with them because when the civilians come, and they see a familiar face, someone from home, it enables us to also be able to handle them with ease," she stated during the interview.
Complementing the AU services, Khadija Mohamed Abdi, a Somali working with AUSSOM as a translator, says the country is making progress on the security front and appreciates the support that AUSSOM provides.
“They provide us with a lot of assistance, including free medical care in the hospitals, even performing surgeries and offering medical checkups at no cost,” said Khadija.