The Alliance of Sahel States has sharply condemned the emergency landing of a Nigerian military aircraft in Burkina Faso, describing the incident as a violation of sovereign airspace and warning of heightened military readiness across the region. The bloc, comprising Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, issued a joint communiqué late Monday announcing that the aircraft, a Nigerian Air Force C-130 transport plane carrying 11 military personnel, entered Burkinabè airspace without authorisation.
According to the statement broadcast on state media in all three countries, the aircraft was forced to land in the city of Bobo Dioulasso following what was described as an “in-flight emergency situation”. Despite the technical difficulties cited, the alliance criticised the presence of the plane in its airspace as an “unfriendly act”, insisting that the Nigerian military did not possess overflight permission.
The statement added that the air forces of the three allied nations had been placed on maximum alert and were now authorised to “neutralise any aircraft” that violates the airspace of the confederation. The fate of the 11 Nigerian personnel onboard the aircraft has not been publicly addressed, and Nigerian authorities have not yet issued a response.
Relations between Nigeria and the Sahelian alliance have grown increasingly strained in recent months, particularly since Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger withdrew from ECOWAS in January and formalised their own regional bloc. The three junta-led states have pursued a path of political and military realignment, distancing themselves from Western partners, including former colonial power France, while forging deeper security ties with Russia.
The alliance’s strong reaction underscores the fragility of regional diplomacy at a time when Sahel nations remain engulfed in conflict against jihadist groups and navigating shifting alliances. The incident also highlights widening fractures within West Africa, as power struggles and competing geopolitical influences reshape the regional balance.
