Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, has issued a formal apology to Burkina Faso over an unauthorised entry made by Nigerian military aircraft into Burkinabé airspace, which led to 11 Nigerian soldiers being held by Burkinabé forces.
The spokesperson for Tuggar confirmed that the detained personnel had been released and were set to return to Nigeria, although a timeline was not provided. According to the Nigerian Air Force, the plane, which was headed to Portugal, suffered a technical hitch and had to make an emergency landing in Burkina Faso.
The unsanctioned entry precipitated a diplomatic standoff with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which includes Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. In a statement, the AES labelled this incident “unfriendly action,” with member countries putting their air forces on heightened alert to “neutralize all aircraft” that break the bloc’s airspace.
All three AES states are under military regimes and have pulled out of the West African regional group Ecowas, although they are now closer to Russia, whereas the rest of Ecowas is aligned with the West.
On Wednesday, Tuggar headed a Nigerian delegation to Ouagadougou for a meeting with the Burkinabe military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore. Commenting on the matter in a live session of the Nigerian national TV station, the nation’s foreign minister acknowledged some flaws in the procedures regarding the country’s overflight authorizations.
The plane’s return schedule, as well as that of the military personnel, who are said to be in “high spirits,” is still in doubt. Both countries agreed to ensure frequent consultations to strengthen their relations are made, according to a foreign ministry official in Nigeria.
