Five people have been killed after a Ugandan military helicopter crashed at the main international airport in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
The Mi-24 helicopter with eight people on board was arriving from an airfield in the Lower Shabelle region before it plummeted to the ground and went up in flames.
The aircraft had originally belonged to the Ugandan Air Force but was being operated by the African Union peacekeeping mission.
Uganda’s military said in a statement that the helicopter was on ‘a routine combat escort mission’ when it crashed at around 7:30am.
The pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer survived the crash with serious injuries and severe burns, it said.
The impact of the crash had caused munitions on board to detonate, destroying nearby structures and injuring three civilians, Ugandan military spokesperson Felix Kulayigye added.
Somalia’s state-run news agency reported that the fire was quickly contained by the emergency services at the Aden Adde International Airport.
Ahmed Moalim Hassan, director-general of the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority, told state media that investigations are now underway.
Rescue efforts take place at the site after an African Union military helicopter crashed at Aden Adde airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Smoke rises after a helicopter, belonging to the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSOM), crashes during landing at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia on July 2, 2025
The impact of the crash had caused munitions on board to detonate, destroying nearby structures and injuring three civilians, Ugandan military spokesperson Felix Kulayigye said
The pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer survived the crash with serious injuries and severe burns
Aviation officer Omar Farah, who was among the first to reach the crash site, told The Associated Press that he ‘saw the helicopter spinning and then it fell very fast.’
Abdirahim Ali, a nearby resident, said he saw ‘a huge explosion and smoke everywhere’.
‘We heard the blast and saw smoke and flames over a helicopter. The smoke entirely covered the helicopter,’ Farah Abdulle, one of the staff at the airport, told Reuters news agency.
Minor delays were reported at the Aden Adde airport, but flights and other operations have since resumed.
The African Union peacekeeping mission, known as AUSSOM, is helping Somali authorities to fight the extremist rebels of al-Shabab, a group that opposes the presence of foreign troops in the Horn of Africa nation.
The mission includes troops from countries including Uganda and Kenya.
Abdirahim Ali, a nearby resident, said he saw ‘a huge explosion and smoke everywhere’
Rescue efforts take place at the site after an African Union military helicopter crashed at Aden Adde airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Uganda’s military said in a statement that the helicopter was on ‘a routine combat escort mission’ when it crashed at around 7:30am
Ugandan forces have been heavily involved in assisting Somalia’s government in combating the al-Shabab group, which has been fighting a bloody insurgency and is affiliated with al-Qaeda.
Reports indicate that the insurgent group had been forced onto the defensive in 2022 and 2023 by Somali forces backed by African Union-led peacekeepers.
Over 10,000 African Union troops are now engaged in Somalia, with roughly half coming from Uganda.
The United Nations Security Council authorized the AU forces, and various versions of the peacekeeping mission have been deployed since 2007.
