Burkina Faso detains 11 Nigerian military officers, seizes Air Force aircraft
At least eleven Nigerian soldiers have been taken into custody by Burkina Faso’s military government after their aircraft reportedly made an emergency landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, allegedly breaching the nation’s airspace.
The ruling junta confirmed the detention in a statement released under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which was shared late Monday on X by security analyst Brant Grant.
The detained personnel were aboard a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft that the AES claims “illegally entered” airspace under its control.
According to the statement, the aircraft “violated AES airspace and was forced to land in Bobo-Dioulasso,” after which the Nigerian troops onboard were arrested.
“The Confederation of the Sahel States informs the public that an aircraft belonging to the Air Force of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a C130 type, was forced to land today, 8 December 2025, in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, following an in-flight emergency situation, while it was operating in Burkinabe airspace,” the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) said in a statement late Monday.
“The AES warns that any aircraft entering its airspace without authorization will be immediately neutralised,” the regime declared, in what observers interpret as an escalation of tensions between West African states and the Sahelian military bloc.
Nigeria’s intervention in Benin
The arrests occurred less than a day after Nigeria sent military aircraft to the Republic of Benin in response to a failed coup attempt there.
While it is still uncertain whether the detained Nigerian personnel were part of any regional security mission, the AES maintained that the aircraft had “no authorised clearance.”
Security experts note that the incident further highlights growing tensions between West Africa’s democratic governments and the military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, the trio that forms the AES.
