All passengers dead as Ethiopia shoot down Kenyan aircraft conveying COVID-19 medical supplies to Somalia

The Ethiopian forces in Somalia have confirmed that it shot down a Kenyan cargo plane on Monday.

Aljazeera reports that the plane, which was shot down was carrying humanitarian and medical supplies to help the country fight the spread of coronavirus.

The incident led to the death of all six persons on board.

The Ethiopian army, who confirmed the development in a statement to the African Union (AU), said the troops were protecting a camp in the town of Bardale in southwestern Somalia.

According to the statement, the soldiers mistakenly believed the plane was on a “potential suicide mission” because they had not been informed about the “unusual flight” and the aircraft was flying low.

“Because of lack of communication and awareness, the aircraft was shot down,” the military said. “The incident … will require mutual collaborative investigation team from Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya to further understand the truth.”

Reacting, Kenya expressed shock over the incident

It said the plane’s mission had been to aid Somalia in tackling the coronavirus pandemic.