The Government of Burkina Faso has announced that a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft carrying 11 military personnel was compelled to land in Bobo-Dioulasso on Monday, following what authorities described as an unauthorised entry into the country’s airspace.
The incident was disclosed by the Agence d’Information du Burkina, the state-run news agency, which circulated an official statement from the Confederation of Sahel States (AES).
According to the translated statement, “The Confederation of Sahel States informs the public that a C-130 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 Burkinabè airspace. The military aircraft had two crew members and nine passengers on board, all military personnel.”
Burkinabè authorities, however, said a preliminary inquiry revealed that the aircraft lacked the required authorisation to fly over the country. The AES described the development as a breach of territorial sovereignty.
“The Confederation condemns with the utmost firmness this violation of its airspace and the sovereignty of its member states,” the statement read.
It further warned that air and anti-aircraft defence systems across AES territories had been placed on maximum alert, with orders “to neutralise any aircraft that would violate the Confederate space.”
As of press time, neither the Nigerian Air Force nor the Federal Government had issued an official response to the incident.
