Covid-19: plane crash carrying medical equipment in Somalia

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In Somalia, a Kenyan plane carrying humanitarian aid crashed Monday, May 4, near the small town of Badale in the southwest of the country. Somali authorities promise a serious investigation, reports say that a missile was reported to have killed him, and relations with Kenya are already strained.

Publicity

It was 3:30 p.m. Monday, May 4, over the bush in southwest Somalia when a Braer 120 jet from the private company African Express Airways crashed into a field 5 kilometers from the small Badale airport where it was to land.

On board were six people: four Somalis and two Kenyans, including the son of the airline owner, who flew the aircraft. All of them died in the crash. In the middle of the rubble in the bush, we found mosquito nets and medical equipment for the fight against Covid-19.

Fuzzy circumstances of the crash

Witnesses quoted by the Somali press say the plane was shot down. And suspicion was quickly directed to the Ethiopian contingent stationed at Badale airport, in the uniform of the African Union force, AMISOM. But the Shebab jihadists are also present in this strategic region, located between the capital Mogadishu and Kenya.

The Somali government has promised a prompt investigation, which will be released "  in the coming days  ". For its part, Kenya, for which the reasons for discord with Somalia are not lacking, considered that the circumstances of the crash were "  unclear  ". As for the Ethiopian army or the shebabs, they have not yet commented on the crash.

► Read also: Covid-19: what impact on conflict zones?

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