By John Umeh
A diplomatic incident erupted on Monday after Burkina Faso’s military authorities intercepted a Nigerian Air Force transport aircraft and detained its crew, accusing the plane of entering the country’s airspace without clearance.
The aircraft, a C-130 Hercules on a routine military assignment, was forced to land at the Bobo-Dioulasso airfield where Burkinabe security officials immediately took 11 Nigerian personnel into custody. The government in Ouagadougou later announced that the aircraft had flown into the territory of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) without prior approval.
Officials of the AES—a security pact formed by Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali—said the event represented a serious breach of the region’s joint airspace control policies. According to the bloc’s statement, radar operators flagged the aircraft as an unidentified entry, prompting a rapid-response protocol.
Burkina Faso’s military government emphasized that the interception was in line with the confederation’s tightened security measures, introduced after increased regional tensions and recent threats to national sovereignty.
As part of these measures, AES leaders have now directed all air defense units in the three countries to remain on high alert. Anti-aircraft systems have also been instructed to immediately counter any unauthorized aircraft approaching the region.
Authorities in Nigeria have not yet issued a formal statement, but diplomatic channels are expected to become active as Abuja seeks the release of its personnel and the return of the seized aircraft.
The situation has heightened regional anxieties, with analysts warning that miscommunication or military overreaction in the Sahel could lead to wider political fallout.
