Ethiopia Shots Down Humanitarian Relief Aircraft Fighting COVID-19

Ethiopia admitted it shot down a Kenyan plane carrying humanitarian aid earlier this week. The shooting killed all 6 people on the plane.

The plane was shot down on 4/5 by Ethiopian soldiers protecting a military camp in the town of Bardale, southwestern Somalia, Aljazeera newspaper quoted the Ethiopian army's announcement on May 9 to the European Union. Phi (AU).

A cargo plane providing humanitarian and medical aid to help Somalia fight the Covid-19 epidemic. The plane landed on Bardale, about 300 km northwest of Mogadishu, Somalia.

Ethiopian soldiers mistakenly believe that the plane is most likely to "perform a suicide attack mission" because they did not receive reports of any unusual flights and at that time the aircraft flew relatively low, according to the report. newspaper.

The Ethiopian military said:

"Due to lack of information and communication, the plane was shot down. The case will require investigative cooperation from both Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya."

According to Aljazeera, Kenya expressed that they were shocked by the crash, saying the aircraft was on a mission to assist Somalia in the virus outbreak.

The downing of the plane also took place amid tense relations between Kenya and Somalia.

Last month, Kenya accused Somalia's army of carrying out an "unwarranted attack" across its borders and described the incident as "a provocative act".

Somali has long accused Kenya of interfering in internal affairs, but Kenya denied it.