Burkina Faso Seizes Nigerian Aircraft Carrying 11 Military Personnel After Unauthorised Entry Into Its Airspace
Burkina Faso announced that a Nigerian Air Force C-130 transport aircraft carrying 11 military personnel was forced to land in Bobo Dioulasso on Monday after entering the country’s airspace without authorisation.
The development was disclosed by Agence d’Information du Burkina, which released a statement from the Confederation of Sahel States. According to the translated statement, “The Confederation of Sahel States informs the public that a C130 aircraft belonging to the Air Force of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was forced to land today, December 8, 2025, in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, following an in-flight emergency while operating in Burkinabe airspace. The military aircraft had two (2) crew members and nine (9) passengers on board, all military personnel.”
Burkinabe authorities later found that the plane had no clearance to fly over the country. Their investigation “highlighted the absence of authorisation to fly over the territory of Burkina Faso for this military device.”
The AES reacted sharply, calling the incident a breach of sovereignty. It stated that it “condemns with the utmost firmness this violation of its airspace and the sovereignty of its member States,” adding that its air and anti-aircraft systems, “put on maximum alert…were authorised to neutralise any aircraft that would violate the Confederate space.”
The Nigerian Air Force and the Federal Government have not yet issued any formal response.
