The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) has issued a stark warning to Nigeria, declaring that any unauthorised aircraft entering its airspace will be subject to forceful neutralisation. The announcement comes in response to a recent incident in which a Nigerian military aircraft reportedly made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso without prior clearance.
In a televised statement read by Burkina Faso’s Minister of Territorial Administration, the AES condemned what it called a violation of international civil and military aviation regulations, describing the landing as an “unfriendly act.”
The alliance said it has placed its air-defence systems on maximum alert, authorising its forces to shoot down any aircraft deemed to violate its airspace going forward.
This development comes amid mounting regional tension. The warning follows Nigeria’s military deployment to the neighbouring Benin Republic to help suppress a recent coup attempt, an operation that has fostered distrust between Nigeria and AES member states.
While Nigeria’s Air Force confirmed the emergency landing was carried out following standard safety protocols and that all crew members are safe, the AES’s response reflects deeper ongoing divergence between Sahel-bloc states and Nigeria over foreign military interventions and regional security alignments.
