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On Saturday, May 9, the Ethiopian armed forces admitted that they were responsible for the shooting down of a Kenyan private jet in Somalia earlier in the week. The Kenyan plane was shot down Monday over the city of Bardale in southwestern Somalia as it attempted to land. All six people on board died.
Representatives had initially denied any knowledge of what happened when Somalia and Kenya called for a rapid investigation. However, in a statement to the African Union on Saturday, the Ethiopian army took responsibility for the tragedy. According to his statement, Ethiopian soldiers stationed in the city of Bardale believed that the plan was on a “possible suicide mission.” They had not realized the “unusual flight” and identified the plane as a threat because it was flying lower than expected. The statement read: “Due to lack of communication and awareness, the plane was shot down. The incident … will require a mutual collaborative investigation team from Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya to better understand the truth.” The region where the plane was shot down is currently under the control of Somali and Ethiopian forces, which have been deployed to the region as part of an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
The plane, owned by African Express Airways, had been carrying supplies to be used in Somalia’s fight against the coronavirus. In the most recent count, Somalia has 928 confirmed cases and 44 deaths. Some of those who died were government officials. The nation’s medical professionals are concerned that Somalia is at risk of a massive death toll, with issues like a lack of test kits hindering an effective response. There is also concern that al-Shabab, an organization with a record of blocking humanitarian aid, may try to disrupt the government’s response to gain greater power in the nation. As such, the shooting down of this aircraft by Ethiopian troops is extremely tragic and runs the risk of having follow-up effects that could lead to more Somali deaths from COVID-19. However, admitting the mistake and welcoming the investigation allows for progress in the future.
The shooting down of this aircraft already hinders Somalia’s response to COVID-19, and if communication between the local government and the foreign army is not improved, future humanitarian missions may be in jeopardy. Immediately after the event, the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged those flying on humanitarian aid missions in the area to take additional precautions to ensure that they can safely achieve their goals.
A full investigation is a good step to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again. It would also be prudent for Ethiopia to provide greater humanitarian involvement to help the Somali government combat the spread of COVID-19. In general, it is the people of Somalia who will be most affected by ongoing communication problems.
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