Ugandan aircraft on AUSSOM mission crashes near Somalia's Mogadishu airport killing three
Witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion followed by thick plumes of smoke rising into the air shortly after the crash.
At least three people were killed when a helicopter operated by the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF), under the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), crashed near Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport on Wednesday.
Reports indicate that the helicopter, which was ferrying eight people, went down as it was arriving from Baledogle air base, about 90 kilometres northwest of the capital.
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Witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion followed by thick plumes of smoke rising into the air shortly after the crash.
Slight delays were reported at the airport, though flights and other activities have now returned to normal.
The Director-General of the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority, Ahmed Moalim Hassan, confirmed that investigations into the incident are currently underway.
"Once the situation is under control and the fire is extinguished by the firefighters, we will know more. The firefighting team is still working to contain the fire; most of it has been put out, but there is still smoke, which we hope will be cleared soon," Ahmed is quoted as saying by AP News.
The condition of the helicopter’s remaining occupants was still unknown at the time of publication.
AUSSOM is a peace support mission led by the African Union (AU) and approved by the United Nations.
It was endorsed by the AU Peace and Security Council on 1 August 2024 and authorised by the UN Security Council on 27 December 2024 under Resolution 2767.
AUSSOM officially replaced the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) on 1 January 2025. Its mandate focuses on stabilisation, security, and state-building, intending to gradually transfer full security responsibilities to Somali forces by December 2029.
The mission comprises military personnel from various AU member states who work alongside the Somali government to strengthen national security by combating Al-Shabaab militants in the country.
In June, an AUSSOM mission in the Sabiid-Anole town led to the killing of 30 Al-Shabaab militants.
The operation, dubbed "Operation Silent Storm", followed a three-day siege on Anole, with UPDF and the Somali Army forcing the militants out of their hideouts and underground tunnels.
The AUSSOM troops also seized various weapons during the operation, believed to have been used by the Al-Shabaab fighters.
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