Amisom troops on the outskirts of Burubow in Gedo region of Somalia in 2014. Amisom denied that Ethiopian forces who shot a Kenyan plane down were part of its troops.
What you need to know:
Ethiopian troops operating at Amisom’s Sector Three shot down a Kenyan plane delivering supplies in Somalia, an aviation report has revealed.
Amisom, in a statement issued in May, denied that the Ethiopian forces who shot the plane down were part of its troops.
The Embraer 120 aircraft operated by African Express was set to land at Berdale airstrip on May 4 when it was brought down.
It was carrying aid supplies for use in the fight against the coronavirus.
“It was on its way from Baidoa to Berdale with four crews and two airline staff. The aircraft was doing go-around when (it was) hit by heavy calibre bullets,” reveals the report seen by Nation.
It burst into flames and all the six on board were killed.
“Due to unmanned aerodrome procedures on the airstrip, the aircraft had to circle around. Amisom forces believed that the aircraft was a suicide attacker trying to find a target in their base camp adjacent to the field. The Amisom soldiers shot down the aircraft using heavy caliber bullets (ZU-23),” the report reads.
The plane was being flown by 31-year-old Kenyan Captain Liban Shire, a qualified pilot with 7,100 total hours flown, out of which 4,500 hours had been on the Embraer 120 aircraft.
The Embraer 120, manufactured in 1992, is a low-wing 30-seat aeroplane.
Unclear circumstances
When it was brought down, the aircraft, which was registered in Kenya on April 17, 2012, had accrued a total of 30,093.5 hours’ flight time at the last recorded logbook entry.
It was fitted with equipment required for safe flight and had no previous failures.
At the time of the crash, Berdale airstrip did not have the required equipment to guide a safe landing as it lacked tower frequency.
In the report, the investigators recommend better coordination between airport authorities and Amisom.
“The contributory factor is the extent to which communication between Somali Civil Aviation Authority and Sector 3 Amisom forces is enacted, which requires further investigation”.
Following the crash, the Foreign ministry sought answers from Somalia and international agencies.
"The government of Kenya urges the government of Somalia and international agencies to thoroughly and swiftly investigate the matter because it impacts humanitarian operations at a time of highest need," the ministry said in a statement.
It urged Kenyan and other humanitarian aircraft operating in the region to enhance precaution "in light of the unclear circumstances surrounding the incident".
Later on, the Ethiopian army admitted that it was behind the shooting. The soldiers mistakenly believed the plane was on a “potential suicide mission,” a statement from the Ethiopian army said, adding that they had not been informed about the “unusual flight” and that the aircraft was flying low.
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