Burkina Faso has released 11 Nigerian military personnel who were detained after a Lagos-origin C-130 cargo plane made an emergency landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, the country’s second-largest city.
The breakaway Association of Sahel States (AES) said the aircraft entered Burkina Faso’s airspace without clearance and described the incident as an “unfriendly act.” Burkina Faso’s authorities said the two crew members and nine passengers were allowed to return to Nigeria. It was not immediately clear whether the aircraft itself was released.
Nigeria’s military said the stop in Bobo-Dioulasso was unplanned and caused by a technical concern while the plane was en route to Portugal on a ferry mission. Ehimen Ejodame, a Nigerian air force spokesperson, said an investigation is under way, declined to confirm whether prior clearance had been sought, and said the personnel had been treated well and planned to continue the mission. Separately, Nigeria reported a domestic test flight in Niger state crashed on Sunday; both pilots survived.
The emergency landing attracted regional attention because it came a day after Nigerian airstrikes hit a military camp in neighbouring Benin, where some soldiers allegedly linked to a foiled coup were hiding. Nigeria said its action followed Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) protocols and was taken at the request of Beninese authorities after soldiers briefly seized the national broadcaster and announced the removal of President Patrice Talon.
Omar Touray, president of the Ecowas Commission, told the bloc’s mediation and security council in Abuja that the region faces a state of emergency, pointing to fragile democratic institutions and mounting security challenges. He urged member states to reflect and invest more in regional security.
The AES, which split from Ecowas in January, has accused the larger bloc of interventionist policies following military takeovers in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Those events have pushed AES countries away from traditional Western partners and closer to Russia.