AU helicopter crashes at Mogadishu airport

At least three people were killed on Wednesday after a military helicopter operated by the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission crashed and caught fire at Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport in Somalia.

The helicopter, which originally belonged to the Ugandan Air Force, was carrying eight individuals when it crashed around 7:30 a.m. while approaching the airport from Baledogle Airfield in the Lower Shabelle region.

According to Artan Mohamed, head of the airport’s immigration office, three fatalities have been confirmed so far, though the total number of casualties remains uncertain.

Brigadier General Felix Kulaigye, spokesperson for the Ugandan Army, said three people survived with burn injuries and have been taken to hospital for treatment. The other five passengers are still unaccounted for, and search-and-rescue operations are underway.

The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) confirmed in a statement that rescue efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining occupants.

The crash also triggered explosions from munitions on board, injuring three civilians nearby, Kulaigye added.

Omar Farah, an aviation officer who responded to the incident, said he saw the helicopter spin out of control before crashing. A local resident, Abdirahim Ali, described hearing a loud explosion followed by thick smoke rising from the scene.

Airport operations experienced temporary delays, but normal flights have since resumed.

AUSSOM, comprising over 11,000 troops from countries including Uganda and Kenya, supports Somali forces in the fight against the al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabab, which has been waging an insurgency in Somalia since the mid-2000s.