Burkina Faso has released 11 Nigerian military personnel detained after a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft made what the country described as an “unauthorised” emergency landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, its second-largest city.
The soldiers, two crew members and nine passengers were cleared to return to Nigeria, though it remains unclear whether the aircraft itself has also been released.
The development followed a tense 48-hour diplomatic engagement between Abuja and Ouagadougou.
The Guardian UK reported that the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, announced on Monday that the aircraft had entered Burkinabe airspace without prior authorisation, calling the diversion an “unfriendly act” and a violation of its sovereignty.
Read also: Nigerian Air Force says safety concerns forced crew to land in Burkina Faso
According to the report, Burkina Faso’s state-run Agence d’Information du Burkina said an investigation showed the aircraft had no clearance to overfly its territory.
However, Nigerian authorities maintain that the landing was strictly a safety measure.
A statement from the Nigerian Air Force said the aircraft, which was en route to Portugal for a ferry mission, was forced to divert shortly after departing Lagos on 8 December 2025 due to a technical concern.
According to Ehimen Ejodame, NAF spokesperson, the crew acted “in accordance with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols” by diverting to the nearest available airfield.
It declined to comment on whether overflight permission had been granted but confirmed that an investigation was ongoing.
NAF added that personnel onboard were treated courteously by Burkinabe authorities and that “plans are underway to continue the mission as scheduled once the matter is resolved.”
Before news of the soldiers’ release emerged, military sources in Abuja had confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was leading negotiations to secure both the personnel and the aircraft.
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“The matter is now being handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We hope they will be released soon with their intervention,” the source said.
Kimiebi Ebienfa, the ministry’s spokesperson, also confirmed that the Nigerian Embassy in Ouagadougou had opened discussions with Burkinabe authorities to resolve the standoff.
The emergency landing came less than 24 hours after Nigerian forces carried out airstrikes at a military camp in neighbouring Benin, where soldiers linked to a foiled coup attempt were believed to be hiding.
Benin had requested Nigeria’s intervention under the security framework of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Soldiers involved in the attempted coup had briefly seized the state broadcaster and announced the removal of President Patrice Talon before the mutiny was suppressed.
Analysts observed that the Nigerian government’s action in Benin was in line with ECOWAS protocols and based on a formal request from Cotonou.
Against this backdrop, the aircraft’s diversion into Burkina Faso, a country that, along with Mali and Niger, exited ECOWAS earlier this year, escalated diplomatic unease.
Omar Touray, ECOWAS Commission President, warned on Tuesday that the region was at a critical moment, citing rising insecurity and political instability.
Read also: Burkina Faso grounds Nigerian military flight after alleged airspace violation
“Events of the last few weeks have shown the imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community,” Touray told a meeting of the bloc’s mediation and security council in Abuja.
The AES, formed by the three Sahelian juntas after breaking away from ECOWAS in January, has deepened military and political ties with Russia while distancing itself from traditional Western allies, a shift that has widened regional fractures.
The diplomatic crisis also coincided with a separate incident in Nigeria, where a domestic test flight in Niger State crashed on Sunday.
Both pilots survived, but the event heightened public scrutiny of military aviation operations.
