Ethiopia Admits Mistakenly Shooting Down Kenya Covid-19 Aid Plane In Somalia

Ethiopia admits mistakenly shooting down Kenya Covid-19 Aid plane in Somalia.

It claimed the crew did not inform authorities of any aircraft flying to the country.

Ethiopian military said it interpreted the plane’s “unusual flight” as a “potential suicide mission”.

The aircraft, an Embraer EMB 120, was shot down in Bardaale in Somalia, killing its six occupants.

Ethiopia on Saturday admitted shooting down of a privately owned Kenyan plane in Somalia earlier this week, killing all six people onboard.

The downing of privately owned Kenyan plane comes amid strained ties between Kenya and Somalia.

In a statement to the African Union, the Ethiopian military said they interpreted the plane’s “unusual flight” as a “potential suicide mission,”.

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They added that the crew did not inform authorities of any aircraft flying to the country.

“Because of lack of communication and awareness, the aircraft was shot down,”

The statement also claimed that troops from Ethiopia operating inside Somalia, but not assigned to the African Union (AU) mission AMISON; were the one that shot down the Kenyan cargo plane last Monday.

“The incident was performed by non-Amisom troops of Ethiopia, which will require mutual collaborative investigation team from Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya to further understand the truth,”

The downed aircraft was an Embraer EMB 120. It was carrying medical supplies to handle coronavirus cases before being shot down in the town of Bardaale in Somalia.

Kenya has expressed its shock over the incident. The country said the plane was on a humanitarian mission amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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