Burkina Faso has detained eleven Nigerian military officers after a Nigerian Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft made an unscheduled landing in Bobo-Dioulasso on Monday, following what Burkinabè authorities described as an unauthorised entry into its airspace.
The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – issued a joint statement on Tuesday accusing the aircraft of violating the sovereignty of its member states and described the incident as an “unfriendly act”.
The AES said an immediate investigation confirmed the plane had no prior authorisation to overfly Burkinabè territory and that the country’s air defence forces had been placed on maximum alert, with orders to “neutralise any aircraft” found violating the confederation’s airspace.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, confirmed the detention of the eleven personnel made up of two crew members and nine passengers, all Nigerian military officers.
According to a BBC report, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) stated that the aircraft, which was en route to Portugal, developed a technical fault and was forced to make an emergency landing at Bobo-Dioulasso, the nearest suitable airfield, in full compliance with international aviation safety procedures.
The NAF described the crew as “safe and receiving cordial treatment” from Burkinabè authorities but did not confirm the reported detention.
The incident comes amid heightened regional tensions following the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS earlier this year and their formation of the AES confederation.
Analysts have linked the airspace incident to Nigeria’s recent deployment of troops and jets to neighbouring Benin to help quell an attempted coup on Sunday, a mission led under the ECOWAS framework that the three Sahel nations have openly rejected.
The three military-led countries have also moved closer to Russia while distancing themselves from former colonial power France and the broader ECOWAS bloc.