Arba Minch Airport
Encyclopedia
Arba Minch Airport is an airport in Arba Minch
, Ethiopia
. Located at an elevation of 1187 meters above sea level, this airport has one asphalt runway 2795 meters long by 47 wide.
Beginning in 2011, the US military flew drone aircraft from Arba Minch airport, as part of its fight against Islamist militants in neighbouring Somalia. The US military has reportedly spent millions of dollars upgrading the airport from which Reaper drones are now being flown. Their role is surveillance of the Al-Shabab
militant group based in Somalia
. But US officials say the drones are flying unarmed because their use is considered sensitive by Ethiopia's government. There is now reported to be a launch base in the Ogaden
in Ethiopia.
Arba Minch
Arba Minch is a city in southern Ethiopia; less common names for this city include Ganta Garo and Minghi. Located in the Gamo Gofa Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region about 500 kilometers south of Addis Ababa, at an elevation of 1285 meters above sea level...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Located at an elevation of 1187 meters above sea level, this airport has one asphalt runway 2795 meters long by 47 wide.
Beginning in 2011, the US military flew drone aircraft from Arba Minch airport, as part of its fight against Islamist militants in neighbouring Somalia. The US military has reportedly spent millions of dollars upgrading the airport from which Reaper drones are now being flown. Their role is surveillance of the Al-Shabab
Al-Shabab
Al-Shabab is a Saudi Arabian professional football club based in Riyadh. It was founded in 1947, and was named at first Shabab AlRiyadh, but later in 1967 was named Al Shabab. Al Shabab is well known in Saudi Arabia as one of the best in football...
militant group based in Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. But US officials say the drones are flying unarmed because their use is considered sensitive by Ethiopia's government. There is now reported to be a launch base in the Ogaden
Ogaden
Ogaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim. The title "Somali Galbeed", which means "Western Somalia," is often preferred by Somali irredentists.The region, which is...
in Ethiopia.