Ethiopia reportedly responsible for shooting down coronavirus supply jet

Media reports say a recently downed Kenyan private jet in Somalia was shot by troops deployed from Ethiopia. So far, the African Union Somalia mission, AMISOM, has only called for a joint investigation.

Kenya media including Daily nation The newspaper claims that Ethiopian troops operating within Somalia, but not assigned to the African Union (AU) mission AMISOM, mistakenly shot down the Kenyan cargo plane last Monday.

The plane, an Embraer EMB 120 carrying medical and humanitarian supplies to handle potential coronavirus cases, crashed as it approached Bardale in central Somalia, reportedly killing all six of its occupants.

AMISOM said on Tuesday it welcomed the decision by the leaders of “Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia to investigate the incident” which reportedly involved the launch of a rocket.

Daily nation, and other media, on Saturday cited what he called an “preliminary report” submitted by AMISOM revealing that Ethiopian troops “not belonging to AMISOM” guarding the Bardale airstrip were surprised by the “unusual” approach to flight ” of the airplane.

Troops suspected the plane was a “suicide bomber,” said the Daily nationAdding that the plane’s crew had approached Bardale unusually from the west.

It was flying closer to the ground and its arrival had not been reported in advance, the newspaper said, citing AMISOM in Mogadishu.

On Tuesday, the UA mission said the aircraft, operated by African Express Airways, registered in Kenya, had made its flight from Mogadishu through Baidoa.

“Clarifying the circumstances”

AMISOM chief of mission Francisco Madeira said the joint investigation will aim to “clarify the circumstances surrounding this incident.”

The formation of AMISOM in 2007 under the UN resolution, but led by the AU, was preceded by a major Ethiopian raid aimed at dissolving the al-Shabab extremist network linked to al-Qaida.