Burkina Faso Releases 11 Nigerian Officers After ‘Unauthorized’ Air Force Landing Sparks Diplomatic Tension
Burkina Faso has freed 11 Nigerian military officers detained after a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft made what the junta described as an “unauthorised” landing in Bobo-Dioulasso. While Nigeria maintained that the stop was a technical emergency en route to Portugal, Burkina Faso insisted the aircraft violated its airspace without clearance, prompting a rapid security response. The Alliance of Sahel States—Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—condemned the incident as an “unfriendly act” and placed their air forces on maximum alert. Despite the fiery rhetoric, Burkinabè officials later questioned and cleared the officers, who have since returned home. The episode adds to rising tensions between Nigeria and the Sahel juntas amid widening regional security and political rifts.
Burkina Faso has freed 11 Nigerian military officers detained after a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft made what the junta described as an “unauthorised” landing in Bobo-Dioulasso. While Nigeria maintained that the stop was a technical emergency en route to Portugal, Burkina Faso insisted the aircraft violated its airspace without clearance, prompting a rapid security response. The Alliance of Sahel States—Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—condemned the incident as an “unfriendly act” and placed their air forces on maximum alert. Despite the fiery rhetoric, Burkinabè officials later questioned and cleared the officers, who have since returned home. The episode adds to rising tensions between Nigeria and the Sahel juntas amid widening regional security and political rifts.
Burkina Faso Releases 11 Nigerian Officers After ‘Unauthorized’ Air Force Landing Sparks Diplomatic Tension
Burkina Faso has freed 11 Nigerian military officers detained after a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft made what the junta described as an “unauthorised” landing in Bobo-Dioulasso. While Nigeria maintained that the stop was a technical emergency en route to Portugal, Burkina Faso insisted the aircraft violated its airspace without clearance, prompting a rapid security response. The Alliance of Sahel States—Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—condemned the incident as an “unfriendly act” and placed their air forces on maximum alert. Despite the fiery rhetoric, Burkinabè officials later questioned and cleared the officers, who have since returned home. The episode adds to rising tensions between Nigeria and the Sahel juntas amid widening regional security and political rifts.
