The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) has announced that a Nigerian Air Force C-130 transport aircraft was compelled to make an unscheduled landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, on Monday after allegedly entering the country’s airspace without the required clearance.

According to information shared on X by security expert @BrantPhilip_, the military aircraft, which had two crew members and nine additional personnel aboard, reportedly declared an in-flight emergency before touching down in Burkina Faso.

Burkinabe authorities have since launched a formal investigation. Their findings, as relayed by the AES, concluded that the Nigerian aircraft lacked authorization to fly over Burkina Faso.

All eleven Nigerian military personnel who were on board are currently being detained by security forces in Bobo-Dioulasso.

In a sharply critical statement, the AES denounced the episode “in the strongest possible terms,” labeling it a breach of its airspace and a direct affront to the sovereignty of its member nations.

The alliance also described the unauthorized overflight as a hostile action that disregards international norms and established aviation protocols.

The communiqué cautioned that the AES would respond decisively to any similar incidents in the future. It further disclosed that its air and anti-aircraft defense units have been placed on the highest alert and are now authorized to “neutralize any aircraft that violates the Confederation’s airspace.”

General Assimi Goïta, who issued the communiqué from Bamako, Mali, explained that the heightened measures are intended to ensure the safety and integrity of the alliance’s airspace, safeguard the sovereignty and territorial borders of its members, and protect the civilian population.

This incident unfolds less than a day after an attempted coup in the Benin Republic, a development that has heightened political and security tensions across the region.

Nigeria recently deployed military support to assist Benin’s government in quelling the coup attempt and maintaining democratic order in the country.