At least 11 Nigerian soldiers were held in Burkina Faso after their military plane had to make an emergency landing, Arabella reported on Tuesday. The soldiers were on their way to Portugal.
Burkina Faso, along with Mali and Niger, recently left the West African group ECOWAS and formed a new alliance called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) after being suspended for military takeovers in their countries.
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The AES said the Nigerian Air Force plane entered Burkina Faso’s airspace without permission and had to land in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso on December 8, 2025. The plane had two crew members and nine passengers, all soldiers.
Burkinabe authorities said the plane did not have clearance to fly over the country. AES called this a “violation of sovereignty” and warned that its air defenses were on high alert to stop any future unauthorized flights.
It is not clear if the Nigerian soldiers were part of ECOWAS’s standby force sent to help Benin after a failed coup attempt.
Diplomatic experts say this incident could increase tensions between ECOWAS and AES, which are now divided over security and political issues.