The Foreign Minister of Nigeria, Yusuf Tuggar, has formally apologized to Burkina Faso for the unauthorized entry of a Nigerian military jet into Burkinabè airspace, an incident that saw 11 Nigerian servicemen arrested.
According to the BBC, Tuggar’s spokesperson said the detained personnel had been released in Burkina Faso and were expected to return to Nigeria, but didn’t hint at when that would happen.
The flight was en route to Portugal when it caught a technical defect and had to land in Burkina Faso, the Nigerian Air Force stated.
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Due to the unauthorized landing, a diplomatic row with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), made up of Burkina Faso and its neighbors, Mali, and Niger, was triggered.
AES described it in a statement as an “unfriendly act” and stated that member states’ respective air forces had been put on maximum alert and authorised to “neutralise any aircraft” found to violate the confederation’s airspace.
All three AES states, run by the military, have taken a step back from the West African regional bloc, Ecowas, and aligned closer to Russia, while most Ecowas members remain in line with the West.
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On Wednesday, Tuggar reportedly fronted a delegation to the Burkinabè capital, Ouagadougou, to discuss the incident with military leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
“There were irregularities concerning the overflight authorisations, which was regrettable, and we apologise for this unfortunate incident,” said Tuggar on state television.
For now, it is not clear when the military personnel, said to be in “high spirits”, will return to Nigeria.
Nigeria’s foreign ministry said both sides agreed to “sustain regular consultations and pursue practical measures to deepen bilateral cooperation and regional integration.”
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We will keep you updated on further developments on this story.
