Ugandan AU Helicopter Crash at Mogadishu Airport Kills Five

A Ugandan military helicopter deployed with the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) crash-landed at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport on Wednesday, killing five of the eight people on board, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces said. Three occupants survived with severe burns and were taken to an AUSSOM field hospital for treatment.

The Mi-24 aircraft had departed Balidoogle Airfield, about 100 km west of the capital, and went down at about 7:30 a.m. local time while attempting to land. The impact ignited on-board munitions, triggering explosions and a fire that airport emergency crews brought under control. The Somali Civil Aviation Authority said flight operations continued with only minor delays and that a joint investigation into the cause of the accident is under way.

AUSSOM, which fields more than 11,000 personnel from several African nations, supports Somali forces battling al-Shabaab insurgents. Wednesday’s crash is the deadliest single incident involving the mission’s air assets since its relaunch last year.