A potential diplomatic dispute between Nigeria and Burkina Faso was resolved Tuesday evening after Burkinabè authorities released 11 Nigerian military officers who had been detained following an unauthorized landing of a Nigerian Air Force, NAF, transport aircraft in the West African country.
Burkinabè security officials said the officers were released after initial questioning and permitted to depart. They were cleared following investigations that confirmed they were not involved in operations to foil a coup plot in neighboring Benin.
The personnel were aboard a NAF C-130 aircraft that Nigeria described as making a technical emergency landing on Monday, December 8, in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso while en route to Portugal. Burkinabè authorities, however, insisted that the aircraft had entered their airspace without authorisation.
Burkina Faso’s territorial administration minister, Emile Zerbo, said the plane violated national procedures, prompting security agencies to intervene.
In a joint statement, the military governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger – members of the Alliance of Sahel States, AES – said their investigation confirmed a violation of its airspace and the sovereignty of its member states.
The bloc described the incident as an unfriendly act and said its air forces had been placed on maximum alert, with orders to neutralise any aircraft breaching their airspace.
According to AES, the aircraft carried two crew members and nine military passengers. Burkinabè security officials reiterated that the officers were released after initial questioning and permitted to leave.
The Nigerian Air Force, in a statement, explained that a technical fault forced the crew to divert to the nearest available airfield in accordance with international aviation safety procedures. The statement added that the personnel were safe and have received cordial treatment from the host authorities, without directly confirming reports of detention.
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