By Onoja Baba, Nigeria
Burkina Faso’s government has confirmed that a Nigerian Air Force C-130 transport aircraft carrying eleven military personnel was forced to land in Bobo-Dioulasso on Monday after entering the country’s airspace without authorisation.
In a statement issued through the state-run Agence d’Information du Burkina and the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), authorities described the incident as a deliberate violation of sovereignty. The aircraft, which had two crew members and nine passengers, all military personnel, reportedly experienced an “in-flight emergency” while flying over Burkinabe territory.
The AES strongly condemned the incursion, stating that an investigation “highlighted the absence of authorisation to fly over the territory of Burkina Faso for this military device.”
It warned that air and anti-aircraft defences across the confederation space have been placed on maximum alert and are authorised to neutralise any aircraft violating member states’ airspace.
The development comes amid strained relations between Nigeria and the AES bloc (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger), which withdrew from ECOWAS in 2024 and have since deepened military and economic ties with Russia.
As of press time, neither the Nigerian Air Force nor the Federal Government has issued an official response to the incident.
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