Sahel Nations Threaten To Shoot Down Nigerian, Other Aircraft For Violating Airspace
The Confederation of the States of the Sahel (AES) has threatened that its forces will shoot down any aircraft, including Nigerian military planes, that enter its airspace without clearance.
AES issued the warning following an incident on Monday when a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft made an emergency landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
In a communiqué issued in Bamako, signed by Mali’s transitional leader and AES President, Gen. Assimi Goïta, the bloc said the aircraft, which carried “two crew members and nine passengers, all of them military personnel,” was operating in Burkinabe airspace “without authorisation.”
Gen. Goïta said the Heads of State of the confederation had ordered heightened military vigilance across the region.
He said, “The air and anti-air defences of the confederal space have been placed on maximum alert.”
He also added that the AES forces have been “authorised to neutralise any aircraft that violates confederal airspace,” in line with a declaration issued on 22 December 2024.
According to the communiqué, Burkinabe authorities opened an investigation immediately after the landing and “confirmed that this military aircraft had no authorisation to fly over Burkinabe territory.”
AES said it “firmly condemns this violation of its airspace and of the sovereignty of its member states,” describing the incident as “an unfriendly act carried out in disregard of international law and international civil and/or military aviation rules.”
The bloc added that it had activated a series of security measures in response.
“Measures have been taken to ensure the security of the confederal airspace, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its member states, as well as the safety of the populations of the AES Confederation,” the communiqué noted.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
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