Nigerian troops held in Burkina Faso after ‘unfriendly’ emergency landing

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 2 min read 100% complete by Eromo Egbejule in AbidjanDecember 9, 2025 at 11:28 AM

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Eleven Nigerian military personnel are being held in Burkina Faso after their aircraft made an emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso on Monday. The Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which includes Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, claims the Nigerian C-130 transport plane entered Burkinabé airspace without authorization. The AES considers the landing an "unfriendly act" and has directed its members to neutralize any future unauthorized aircraft. Nigeria states the plane was en route to Portugal for a ferry mission and made a precautionary landing due to a technical issue. This incident occurred shortly after Nigeria's involvement in Benin to suppress a coup attempt, further straining relations between Nigeria and the AES, which broke away from ECOWAS after ECOWAS threatened military intervention in Niger.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Alliance of Sahel States (AES) 50% Patrice Talon ×260% Nigeria ×470% Burkina Faso ×580%

Keywords

burkina faso 90% emergency landing 90% airspace violation 80% nigeria 80% military personnel 70% alliance of sahel states 70% coup attempt 60% ecowas 60% regional security 50% political crisis 50%