The UAE has condemned the seizure of its civilian aircraft carrying millions of dollars by authorities in Somalia on Sunday.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said that the jet was seized at Mogadishu airport carrying US$9.6 million in cash allocated to support the Somali army and trainees.

The Ministry added that some those on-board the plane had been held at gunpoint and assaulted by Somali security forces. This action is an illegal step that "contradicts the established diplomatic norms and traditions between countries and is a serious breach of the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries in November 2014," it continued.

It went on to say that the UAE "deplores this violation of international law and norms, at a time when the UAE has provided all kinds of political, economic, military and humanitarian support in the darkest conditions to establish security and stability in the Somali Federal Republic."