Mogadishu, Somalia – A Ugandan military helicopter on a peacekeeping mission for the African Union crashed in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday, killing five people and seriously injuring three others, officials said.
The Mi-24 helicopter gunship, part of the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) fleet, was operating under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) when it went down inside the heavily fortified compound of Aden Adde International Airport.
Ugandan military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Felix Kulayigye confirmed the incident, stating that the eight people on board included crew members and military personnel. According to the Ugandan military, the survivors—the pilot, co-pilot, and a technician—all sustained severe burns and injuries.
The aircraft was returning from a routine mission to secure a military convoy in the Lower Shabelle region, a volatile area south of the capital that is a frequent theatre of conflict with Islamist militants.
Investigation launched
An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash, with a joint team from AUSSOM and the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) leading the inquiry.
Eyewitnesses at the airport reported seeing the helicopter in apparent distress just before it crashed. “I saw the helicopter spinning around before it fell with great speed,” Omar Farah, an aviation official near the scene, told the Associated Press.
Another witness, local resident Abdirahim Ali, described hearing a “huge explosion and smoke billowing everywhere.”
Operations at Aden Adde International Airport, Somalia’s primary aviation hub, were briefly suspended but have since fully resumed, according to the SCAA.
The crash underscores the inherent risks of the long-running counter-insurgency operation in Somalia. AUSSOM is a 19,000-strong multinational force tasked with supporting the Somali federal government against the al-Qaeda-affiliated group, Al-Shabaab.
Uganda is a foundational member and the largest troop contributor to the mission, having first deployed its soldiers in 2007 under the previous mandate, AMISOM. The force also includes troops from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
Aircraft like the Mi-24 helicopter are critical assets in this challenging environment, providing air support, reconnaissance, and medical evacuation capabilities. However, aviation incidents remain a persistent risk for both peacekeeping and humanitarian operations across Somalia’s vast and difficult terrain.
The incident occurs as AUSSOM continues a phased drawdown of its forces. The mission’s goal is to gradually transfer all security responsibilities to the Somali National Army (SNA), as part of an international strategy to foster Somalia’s self-reliance in security.
However, the timeline for this transition remains under constant review amid concerns that a premature withdrawal could create a security vacuum for Al-Shabaab to exploit. The Islamist group was pushed out of Mogadishu in 2011 but maintains control over large rural areas and continues to launch deadly attacks against military and civilian targets.
Despite a major government offensive launched in 2022 that reclaimed significant territory, the militants have proven resilient, adapting their tactics and challenging the stability that ATMIS and Somali forces are working to secure.