The 2020 African Express Airways Brasilia crash was an

aviation accident An aviation accident is an event during aircraft operation that results serious injury, death, or significant destruction. An aviation incident is any operating event that compromises safety but does not escalate into an aviation accident. Pre ...

involving an African Express Airways

Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia The Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia is a twin-turboprop 30-passenger regional airliner, commuter airliner designed and manufactured by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. The EMB 120 began development during 1974. While initially conceived as ...

that was on approach to Berdale on a chartered cargo flight from Baidoa Airport,

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

on 4 May 2020 when it was allegedly shot down by ground troops of the

Ethiopian National Defense Force The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) () is the combined military force of Ethiopia. ENDF is consisted of 10 command forces which is controlled by the Chief of General Staff. Commanders of the Military Supreme Commander – Taye At ...

. All 6 occupants, four non-revenue passengers and two crew, were killed. The plane was carrying medical supplies to assist with the COVID-19 pandemic in Somalia, as well as mosquito nets. According to a one-page African Union peacekeeping force incident report that was leaked on

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on 10 May, Ethiopian troops not affiliated with the peacekeeping mission fired on the aircraft because it made a non-standard approach from the west instead of the east, and it exhibited an irregular flight path, leading the troops to conclude that it may be engaged in a

suicide attack A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...

; the report cited a "lack of communication and awareness" by the Ethiopian troops. However, officials emphasized that the report contains readily apparent contradictions and factual errors, and Smaïl Chergui, the African Union Peace and Security Commissioner, said that the peacekeeping force lacks the expertise to conclusively determine the cause of the crash; a joint accident investigation by officials from Somalia,

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

and

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

is underway, with preliminary findings expected in 45 days. In addition to investigating the crash itself, Somali leaders questioned why Ethiopian troops outside the authority of the peacekeeping force were conducting armed operations in Somalia; there has been a history of controversial unauthorized incursions into Somalia by Ethiopian and Kenyan troops pursuing Al-Shabaab militants.

References

2020 in international relations 2020 murders in Somalia Accidents and incidents involving the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia Airliner shootdown incidents Aviation accidents and incidents in 2020 Aviation accidents and incidents in Somalia Bay, Somalia May 2020 in Africa Ethiopian war crimes during the Somali Civil War 2020 disasters in Somalia COVID-19 pandemic in Somalia Mass murder in 2020 21st-century mass murder in Somalia {{aviation-accident-stub

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