Somalia conflict: UN helicopter and passengers seized by al-Shabab
The armed Islamist group al-Shabab, based in Somalia, reportedly took control of a United Nations helicopter, along with approximately eight individuals comprising passengers and crew, according to local sources informed by the BBC.
The helicopter landed in a region controlled by al-Shabab in central Somalia. While the UN’s mission in Somalia (Unsom) acknowledged an “aviation incident” involving a UN-contracted helicopter engaged in a medical evacuation, it did not explicitly reference al-Shabab.
The Unsom statement mentioned that “response efforts are underway.”
An AFP news agency report, citing a UN memo on the incident, stated that the helicopter crash-landed approximately 70km (43 miles) southeast of Dhusamareb, with no UN staff on board, as the individuals were third-party contractors. The nationalities of those on board, as well as the exact number, have not been specified. Reportedly, one passenger was killed, and two others managed to escape.
Al-Shabab currently holds significant territories in southern and central Somalia. Affiliated with al-Qaeda, the group has been engaged in a brutal insurgency for nearly two decades.
The confirmation of the helicopter’s seizure was provided to the BBC by Mohamed Abdi Adan, the Security Minister of the Galmudug region.
Several foreigners and two locals were on the helicopter, Somali military official Major Hassan Ali told Reuters news agency.
“It was also carrying medical supplies and it was supposed to transport injured soldiers from Galgudud region,” he was quoted as saying.
The helicopter was heading to Wisil town near the frontlines of an offensive against al-Shabab by government forces when it landed.
The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) posted on social media on Wednesday night that the aircraft was “not a WFP or UN Humanitarian Air Service craft and no WFP personnel were aboard”.
The WFP added that as a precaution, its flights in the area had been temporarily suspended.
The Somali government has in recent months intensified its fight against the al-Qaeda-linked group.
