The Confederation of Sahel States (AES) says Nigeria has breached Burkina Faso’s airspace after a military aircraft transporting 11 Nigerian soldiers reportedly entered the country without clearance.
AES, the bloc formed by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger after their break from ECOWAS, said the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft was compelled to land in Bobo Dioulasso on Monday due to what it described as an in-flight emergency.
A statement issued by Mali’s junta leader, Assimi Goita, said the Burkinabe authorities immediately launched a probe into the incident.
An investigation was immediately opened by the competent Burkinabe services and highlighted the lack of authorisation to fly over Burkinabe territory for this military apparatus, the statement reads.
The statement insised it constituted a serious infringement on the Confederation’s sovereignty.
The Confederation of the Sahel States most strongly condemns this violation of its airspace and the sovereignty of its member states.
Faced with this unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law and international civil and/or military aviation rules, arrangements are made to guarantee the security of the Confederal airspace, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its Member States, as well as the safety of the Populations of the Confederation AES.
In this regard, and on the instructions of the Heads of State, the Arian and anti-aircraft defences of the Confederal space put on maximum alert, in accordance with the Declaration of the College of Heads of State dated December 22, 2024, were authorised to neutralise any aircraft that would violate the confederal space.
Nigeria has not yet issued a public reaction to the allegation.
