This archive report was first published on 6 May 2020.
On May 6, 2020, Kenya's foreign ministry called for an investigation into a fatal plane crash in Somalia that killed all six people on board.
The plane, a Kenyan-registered twin-engine private cargo plane with African Express Airways, crashed under unclear circumstances in the southwestern Bay region of Somalia.
According to the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority, the plane took off from Somalia's capital Mogadishu, stopped over in Baidoa, and then continued its flight south to Bardale town where it crashed.
Local Somali official Ahmed Isaq alleged that the aircraft was shot down by a projectile fired from the ground as it approached the airstrip in Bay region.
"The aircraft was about to land at the Bardale airstrip when it crashed and burst into flames. All six people onboard died in the incident," Isaq told French news agency AFP.
The airstrip is a base for the Ethiopian military under the African Union (AU) mission tasked with combating the al-Shabab extremist group.
Al-Shabab, which has been banned as a terrorist group by several countries, controls parts of rural southern and central Somalia.
However, the area where the plane crash occurred is under the control of government and Ethiopian troops.
Kenyan authorities have warned humanitarian aircraft operating in the region to enhance extra precaution in light of the unclear circumstances surrounding the incident.
Kenya's foreign ministry urged Somalia to swiftly investigate the fatal crash, citing its impact on humanitarian operations at a time of highest need due to the coronavirus outbreak.
