Latest news with #SomaliaCivilAviationAuthority
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Five soldiers killed as helicopter crashes in Somalia
Five Ugandan soldiers are dead after a military helicopter serving the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed at an airport in Mogadishu, according to Ugandan authorities. The Mi-24 helicopter was arriving from an airfield in the Lower Shabelle region with eight people on board at the time of the crash in the capital on Wednesday. It originally belonged to the Ugandan Air Force but was being operated by the African Union peacekeeping mission. Uganda's military said the helicopter was on "a routine combat escort mission", and the pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer survived the crash with serious injuries and burns. Ahmed Moalim Hassan, director-general of the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority, told state media that investigations were under way. Abdirahim Ali, a nearby resident, said he saw "a huge explosion and smoke everywhere". 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 al-Shabab, a rebel group that opposes the presence of foreign troops in the Horn of Africa nation. The mission includes troops from countries including Uganda and Kenya. Five Ugandan soldiers are dead after a military helicopter serving the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed at an airport in Mogadishu, according to Ugandan authorities. The Mi-24 helicopter was arriving from an airfield in the Lower Shabelle region with eight people on board at the time of the crash in the capital on Wednesday. It originally belonged to the Ugandan Air Force but was being operated by the African Union peacekeeping mission. Uganda's military said the helicopter was on "a routine combat escort mission", and the pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer survived the crash with serious injuries and burns. Ahmed Moalim Hassan, director-general of the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority, told state media that investigations were under way. Abdirahim Ali, a nearby resident, said he saw "a huge explosion and smoke everywhere". 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 al-Shabab, a rebel group that opposes the presence of foreign troops in the Horn of Africa nation. The mission includes troops from countries including Uganda and Kenya. Five Ugandan soldiers are dead after a military helicopter serving the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed at an airport in Mogadishu, according to Ugandan authorities. The Mi-24 helicopter was arriving from an airfield in the Lower Shabelle region with eight people on board at the time of the crash in the capital on Wednesday. It originally belonged to the Ugandan Air Force but was being operated by the African Union peacekeeping mission. Uganda's military said the helicopter was on "a routine combat escort mission", and the pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer survived the crash with serious injuries and burns. Ahmed Moalim Hassan, director-general of the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority, told state media that investigations were under way. Abdirahim Ali, a nearby resident, said he saw "a huge explosion and smoke everywhere". 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 al-Shabab, a rebel group that opposes the presence of foreign troops in the Horn of Africa nation. The mission includes troops from countries including Uganda and Kenya. Five Ugandan soldiers are dead after a military helicopter serving the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed at an airport in Mogadishu, according to Ugandan authorities. The Mi-24 helicopter was arriving from an airfield in the Lower Shabelle region with eight people on board at the time of the crash in the capital on Wednesday. It originally belonged to the Ugandan Air Force but was being operated by the African Union peacekeeping mission. Uganda's military said the helicopter was on "a routine combat escort mission", and the pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer survived the crash with serious injuries and burns. Ahmed Moalim Hassan, director-general of the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority, told state media that investigations were under way. Abdirahim Ali, a nearby resident, said he saw "a huge explosion and smoke everywhere". 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 al-Shabab, a rebel group that opposes the presence of foreign troops in the Horn of Africa nation. The mission includes troops from countries including Uganda and Kenya.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Five soldiers killed as helicopter crashes in Somalia
Five Ugandan soldiers are dead after a military helicopter serving the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed at an airport in Mogadishu, according to Ugandan authorities. The Mi-24 helicopter was arriving from an airfield in the Lower Shabelle region with eight people on board at the time of the crash in the capital on Wednesday. It originally belonged to the Ugandan Air Force but was being operated by the African Union peacekeeping mission. Uganda's military said the helicopter was on "a routine combat escort mission", and the pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer survived the crash with serious injuries and burns. Ahmed Moalim Hassan, director-general of the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority, told state media that investigations were under way. 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". 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 al-Shabab, a rebel group that opposes the presence of foreign troops in the Horn of Africa nation. The mission includes troops from countries including Uganda and Kenya.
Asharq Al-Awsat
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Taiwan Says Somalia Bans Entry to Its Citizens amid Somaliland Dispute
Somalia has banned entry to Taiwan passport holders citing compliance with a United Nations resolution, the island's foreign ministry said, blaming Chinese pressure on Mogadishu at a time Taiwan is boosting ties with Somaliland. Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international recognition for its independence. The region has been mostly peaceful while Somalia has endured three decades of civil war. Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory and likewise diplomatically isolated, and Somaliland set up representative offices in each other's capitals in 2020, angering Mogadishu and Beijing. In a statement late on Tuesday, Taiwan's foreign ministry said the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority had last week issued a notice that as of Wednesday Taiwanese passports will not be accepted for entry to Somalia. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged a solemn protest against the Somali government's move, instigated by China, to restrict the freedom and security of travel of our nationals, and demands the Somali government immediately revoke the announcement," it said. Somalia's outgoing Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi told Reuters the measure had been taken because they recognize one China policy and consider Taiwan a part of China. "We banned from Somalia all illegal work of Taiwan and those with Taiwanese passports," he said. "It (Taiwan) violated the independence and unity of Somalia by opening illegal offices in a town which is part of Somalia, without permission from Somalia." He was referring to Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital. Somaliland officials could not be reached for comment. A spokesman for China's foreign ministry said the decision was a legitimate measure taken by Somalia to safeguard its rights and interests. "It also shows that Somalia firmly abides by the one China principle ... we firmly oppose the establishment of institutions or any form of official exchange between the Taiwan authorities and Somaliland," ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference on Wednesday. Notice of the entry ban, sent to airlines, was given so that Somalia complies with a United Nations Resolution passed in 1971 by which the Beijing government took Taipei's place at the global body under the "one China" principle, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Taiwan, along with the US, says the UN resolution makes no mention of Taiwan's status and that China has deliberately misinterpreted it. China says the resolution gives international legal standing to its claims of sovereignty over the democratically governed island.
TimesLIVE
30-04-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Taiwan says Somalia bans entry to its citizens amid Somaliland dispute
Somalia has banned entry to Taiwan passport holders citing compliance with a United Nations resolution, the island's foreign ministry said, blaming Chinese pressure on Mogadishu at a time Taiwan is boosting ties with Somaliland. Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international recognition for its independence. The region has been mostly peaceful while Somalia has grappled with three decades of civil war. Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory and likewise diplomatically isolated, and Somaliland set up representative offices in each other's capitals in 2020, to the anger of both Mogadishu and Beijing. In a statement late on Tuesday, Taiwan's foreign ministry said the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority had last week issued a notice that as of Wednesday, no Taiwanese passports will be accepted for entry to Somalia. "The ministry of foreign affairs has lodged a solemn protest against the Somali government's move, instigated by China, to restrict the freedom and security of travel of our nationals, and demands the Somali government immediately revoke the announcement," it said.
Straits Times
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Taiwan says Somalia bans entry to its citizens amid Somaliland dispute
TAIPEI - Somalia has banned entry to Taiwan passport holders citing compliance with a United Nations resolution, the island's foreign ministry said, blaming Chinese pressure on Mogadishu at a time Taiwan is boosting ties with Somaliland. Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international recognition for its independence. The region has been mostly peaceful while Somalia has grappled with three decades of civil war. Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory and likewise diplomatically isolated, and Somaliland set up representative offices in each other's capitals in 2020, to the anger of both Mogadishu and Beijing. In a statement late on Tuesday, Taiwan's foreign ministry said the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority had last week issued a notice that as of Wednesday, no Taiwanese passports will be accepted for entry to Somalia. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged a solemn protest against the Somali government's move, instigated by China, to restrict the freedom and security of travel of our nationals, and demands the Somali government immediately revoke the announcement," it said. The Somalia Civil Aviation Authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside of regular business hours in Mogadishu. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The notice has gone to airlines and was given so that Somalia complies with United Nations Resolution 2758, passed in 1971 and which saw the Beijing government take Taipei's place at the global body, and the "one China" principle, the ministry added. Taiwan, along with the United States, says the U.N. resolution makes no mention of Taiwan's status and that China has deliberately misinterpreted it. China says the resolution gives international legal standing to its claims of sovereignty over the democratically governed island. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
