Sahel alliance blasts Nigeria as NAF Plane makes emergency landing in Burkina Faso

The military juntas governing Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have jointly condemned the emergency landing of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft within Burkinabe territory, warning that they will no longer tolerate unauthorised flights across their skies.

In a statement broadcast on state media across the three countries, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) said the NAF C-130 aircraft, which was carrying 11 Nigerian military personnel, entered Burkina Faso’s airspace without official clearance before being forced to land in Bobo-Dioulasso due to an in-flight emergency.

Describing the incident as an “unfriendly act”, the bloc said its air defence units had now been placed on maximum alert and empowered to “neutralise any aircraft” violating the airspace of any AES member state.

The alliance did not disclose the condition or status of the 11 Nigerians onboard.

Relations between the Sahelian juntas and their West African neighbours have remained strained since the trio pulled out of ECOWAS earlier in the year, choosing instead to deepen security and political ties among themselves and with Russia, while distancing from Western partners, particularly France.

AFP contributed to this report.