Burkina Faso briefly detained eleven Nigerian military officers after a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft made an emergency landing in the country.
The landing occurred in Bobo-Dioulasso on Monday, 08 December, the nation’s second-largest city, following a technical problem that forced the plane, en route to Portugal, to stop. While the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) described on Tuesday the landing as a safety measure and confirmed that the crew were treated well, Burkinabè authorities insisted that the aircraft had violated national airspace without prior authorisation.
The incident sparked a formal response from the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The AES condemned the unauthorized entry as an “unfriendly act,” placing their air forces on maximum alert and asserting the right to neutralise any future airspace violations.
All eleven Nigerian personnel, including two crew members and nine passengers, were released and allowed to return to Nigeria following Burkinabè investigation.
Analysts suggest the episode may be linked to regional security tensions, particularly Nigeria’s deployment of troops and aircraft to Benin after a failed coup.
Earlier in 2025, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), citing political and security grievances, while also moving away from Western influence and strengthening ties with Russia, Turkey and Cuba. The incident underscores growing strains between Nigeria and the military-led Sahel nations.