BOBO-DIOULASSO, BURKINA FASO – The military regime in Burkina Faso has seized a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft and detained 11 Nigerian soldiers after the plane conducted an emergency landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, according to a statement released late Monday by the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The AES, a defense pact comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, confirmed the capture, alleging the aircraft had “violat[ed] AES airspace” before being forced to land in the southwestern Burkinabe city. Security analyst Brant Grant shared the official AES statement on X, which confirmed the incident.
The statement issued a stark warning, emphasizing that the AES considers the airspace of its member nations sovereign and stated that “any unauthorized aircraft violating AES airspace will be neutralized.”
Escalation Follows Benin Deployment
The seizure marks a significant escalation of tensions between Nigeria, the largest democracy and regional power in West Africa, and the AES bloc, which consists of nations currently under military rule.
The incident occurred just one day after the Nigerian government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had deployed its own military aircraft and ground troops into the neighboring Benin Republic. That intervention was conducted following an attempted coup in Benin, an action framed by Abuja as upholding constitutional order in the region.
The capture of the Nigerian aircraft in Burkina Faso is seen as a direct challenge to Nigeria’s regional military authority and reflects the deep mistrust between the ECOWAS leadership and the military regimes of the Sahel.
