Burkina Faso releases detained Nigerian Air Force personnel after diplomatic talks
Burkina Faso has released the Nigerian military personnel who were detained after their aircraft made a forced landing in the Sahelian country.
The release followed diplomatic talks initiated by President Bola Tinubu, who dispatched a delegation led by the minister of foreign affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to meet Burkina Faso’s junta leader, Ibrahim Traoré, on Wednesday.
In a statement, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Tuggar’s spokesperson, said both countries “amicably resolved the issue concerning the Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew.”
The soldiers had been held for nearly two weeks after the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) described the aircraft’s landing as an “unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law.”
The Nigerian Air Force, however, explained that the crew detected a technical issue mid-flight, which required a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, the nearest suitable airfield in Burkina Faso.
According to the NAF, the landing was carried out in line with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.
Although there were unconfirmed reports last week suggesting that the personnel had been released, Tuggar told TheCable at the time that they were still in custody, adding that diplomatic efforts were underway to resolve the matter swiftly.
The talks that led to their release were held in Ouagadougou on Wednesday. Abdulkadir said Tuggar conveyed a message of solidarity and fraternity from President Tinubu to Traoré, while both sides explored ways to strengthen bilateral relations and regional integration.
He added that discussions focused on political, security, and economic cooperation, particularly coordinated responses to regional security challenges. “Both sides agreed to sustain regular consultations and pursue practical measures to deepen bilateral cooperation and regional integration, reflecting a shared resolve to promote peace, unity, and stability in the sub-region,” Abdulkadir said.
Members of the Nigerian delegation included Mohammed Mohammed, director-general of the National Intelligence Agency; A. Y. Abdullahi, chief of policy and plans at the NAF; Olawale Awe, Nigeria’s permanent representative to ECOWAS; and Wahab Akande, chief of protocol at the ministry of foreign affairs.
Related to this topic:
