Diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) escalated on Monday after Burkina Faso detained a Nigerian Air Force C-130 military transport aircraft that made an emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso, with the junta-led bloc accusing Abuja of violating its airspace.
In separate statements issued by the AES and confirmed through Burkina Faso’s state-run Agence d’Information du Burkina, authorities said the aircraft - carrying two crew members and nine military passengers - was forced to land following an in-flight emergency while transiting Burkinabè airspace.
However, an investigation launched immediately after the aircraft touched down reportedly found that the Nigerian crew did not obtain mandatory overflight clearance before entering Burkina Faso’s airspace. The AES described this as a serious breach of national sovereignty and international aviation norms.
“The investigation highlighted the absence of authorisation to fly over the territory of Burkina Faso for this military device,” the AES said. The confederation condemned the incident “with the utmost firmness,” describing it as an unfriendly act and a disregard for international law governing civil and military aviation.
In a strongly-worded warning, the AES announced that its air and anti-aircraft defence units had been placed on maximum alert, with orders to neutralise any unauthorised aircraft entering the confederation’s airspace. It also said new measures were being activated to strengthen protection of its skies and reinforce the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its member states.
No official response has yet been issued by the Nigerian Air Force or the Federal Government regarding the incident.
The episode adds to already strained relations between Nigeria and the AES bloc, comprising Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The trio formally withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2025, accusing the regional body of punitive sanctions and insufficient support in their fight against terrorism. ECOWAS lifted its sanctions and introduced temporary measures to maintain trade and mobility, but the AES retaliated in April by imposing a 0.5 per cent import duty on goods from ECOWAS countries.
The aircraft detention also comes just days after Nigerian troops intervened in neighbouring Benin Republic to help foil a coup attempt, an operation undertaken at the request of President Patrice Talon but viewed with suspicion by some military regimes in the region.
With political tensions rising across West Africa and the AES consolidating its posture against perceived external interference, the latest incident threatens to widen the diplomatic gulf. The confederation insisted it would take all necessary steps to safeguard its airspace and ensure the security of its populations.
The Nigerian government is yet to clarify the mission of the detained aircraft or respond to the AES’s claims of an unauthorised military overflight.
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