Sahel states accuse Nigeria of violating Burkina Faso airspace

A dispute over an unexpected military landing has sharpened the already fraught relations between Nigeria and the Confederation of Sahel States, after a Nigerian Air Force C-130 transport aircraft touched down in Burkina Faso on December 8 without prior authorization, as reported by Reuters.

The incident, which Nigeria attributes to an in-flight technical problem, has prompted the Sahel bloc to warn that its air defences remain on high alert in case of further airspace violations.

According to Nigerian officials, the C-130 departed from Lagos and was headed to Portugal when the crew detected a technical fault that required what they described as a “precautionary landing” in the city of Bobo Dioulasso. Air force spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame said the crew followed “standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols,” and confirmed that all personnel on board were safe. The aircraft carried two crew members and nine military passengers.

Authorities from the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), comprised of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, offered a sharply different framing, accusing Nigeria of violating Burkina Faso’s airspace by flying through it without clearance. The alliance stated that its air defences had been placed on maximum alert and were authorised to neutralize any aircraft deemed to be trespassing.

The dispute underscores the broader political rupture between the AES and ECOWAS, the regional bloc from which the AES members distanced themselves after a series of military takeovers. The Sahel coalition has said its separation is intended to push back against foreign interference and to resist sanctions imposed by ECOWAS.

This disagreement comes amid additional regional strain, as Nigeria has deployed aircraft and troops to assist in quelling a coup in neighbouring Benin, which borders Burkina Faso.

The latest dispute also reflects a deeper fracture that has worsened since Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger abandoned the regional bloc and formalised their breakaway status. As the AES works to build political, financial and military structures independent of ECOWAS, including efforts to establish its own regional bank to reduce reliance on Western-aligned institutions, it has simultaneously shifted its security partnerships toward Moscow.

Reports detail how the bloc has been steadily deepening its ties with Russia and aligning more openly with Russian geopolitical interests as Western influence recedes from the region. This strategic pivot has sharpened its standoff with ECOWAS, which remains tied to its Western partners, creating a collision of competing regional visions in a multipolar world that now materialises in the form of disputes over airspace, military movements and political legitimacy.

Reuters, Maghrebi.org