The Confederation of Sahel States (AES) introduced on Monday that it had detained a Nigerian Air Power plane carrying 11 army personnel after the aircraft allegedly violated Burkina Faso’s airspace.
In accordance with the AES, the C-130 plane was pressured to land in Bobo Djoulasso on December 8, 2025, following what was described as an “emergency state of affairs” throughout its flight.
“An plane belonging to the Air Power of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, kind C-130, was pressured to land today, December 8, 2025, in Bobo Djoulasso, Burkina Faso, following an emergency state of affairs throughout a flight whereas they had been flying in Burkina Faso airspace. The army plane had on board two crew members and 9 all-military passengers,” the assertion learn.
Burkinabè authorities instantly launched an investigation, which concluded that the Nigerian plane didn’t have authorization to fly over Burkina Faso.
AES described the incident as a violation of nationwide sovereignty and worldwide aviation norms.
“The Confederation of the States of Sahel condemns with the utmost firmness this violation of its airspace and the sovereignty of its member states,” the physique declared.
The confederation additional emphasised that “measures have been taken to make sure the safety of the Confederation’s airspace, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its member states, and the security of the populations of the AES Confederation.”
The detention of the plane may reignite tensions between Nigeria and the AES, a regional bloc fashioned by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic after their withdrawal from the {Economic} Neighborhood of West African States (ECOWAS).
The three international locations formally exited ECOWAS in January 2025, following months of strained relations. Their army juntas accused ECOWAS of failing to assist them of their combat towards terrorism and of imposing sanctions that harmed their populations.
Though ECOWAS later lifted the sanctions, the rift persevered. The bloc launched transitional measures to reduce disruptions, together with duty-free commerce, visa-free motion, and residence rights.
Regardless of these measures, AES imposed a 0.5 p.c import obligation on items from ECOWAS member states in April 2025, additional straining relations.
This newest incident involving Nigeria’s army plane provides one other layer of complexity to the already fragile political and {economic} panorama in West Africa.
The incident comes after the Nigerian armed forces intervened within the Republic of Benin on Sunday following an tried coup focusing on President Patrice Talon.