A military helicopter crashed and caught fire at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport on Tuesday, witnesses reported, marking the second such incident involving African Union forces in recent weeks.
Eyewitnesses at the airport described a loud explosion followed by thick smoke billowing from the helicopter. “We heard a blast and saw flames and smoke completely covering the aircraft,” said one airport staff member who requested anonymity. It remains unclear whether the helicopter was taking off or landing at the time of the accident.
The aircraft is believed to have been operated by the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in Somalia, which recently transitioned from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) to the newly named African Union Stabilization and Support Mission (AUSSOM).
Neither AUSSOM nor Somali government officials have released an official statement regarding the cause of the crash or whether there were any casualties.
This incident follows a separate crash involving an AUSSOM helicopter in the Hawadley area of Middle Shabelle just weeks earlier. That aircraft was reportedly on an emergency evacuation mission after severe flooding forced Burundian peacekeepers to pull back, exposing the area to renewed Al-Shabaab threats.
As of Wednesday, investigations are ongoing, and further details about damage or possible injuries from the Mogadishu crash have not been confirmed.