Sahel alliance warns Nigeria it will 'neutralise' any unauthorised aircraft in its airspace

The emergency landing of a Nigerian military plane in western Burkina Faso has reignited tensions between Abuja and the Alliance of Sahel States, or AES.

In a statement read by Burkina’s Minister of Territorial Administration on public television, the AES said the plane was carrying nine military personnel and did not have authorisation to enter Burkinabe airspace.

The alliance condemned what it called an “unfriendly” act, that it said violated international law as well as civil and military aviation regulations.

It warned that it has bolstered the security of its airspace and is ready to neutralise any unauthorised aircraft.

Growing divide

The incident comes after Abuja sent military aircraft to Benin to defend the government from an attempted coup over the weekend. Nigeria says it was acting at the request of Benin’s government and with the framework of ECOWAS mechanisms.

There is a growing political divide between West African nations. The AES left ECOWAS in January and trade between the two regional blocs has been suspended.

The region has recently seen a string of military coups, most recently in Guinea-Bissau.

The AES is made up of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. It left ECOWAS after the regional bloc threatened to intervene in Niger following the 2023 military coup.