The military regime in Burkina Faso is holding at least 11 Nigerian soldiers and has seized their Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft after it conducted an emergency landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, in the South West of the country.

The detention was confirmed by a statement from the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) -which comprises the military regimes of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali – late Monday night.

The AES statement, shared by security analyst Brant Grant, accused Nigeria of “violating AES airspace” with the Nigerian Air Force C-130 transport aircraft.

The AES claimed the NAF C-130 aircraft was forced to land on Monday in Bobo-Dioulasso following an “in-flight emergency situation” while operating in Burkinabe airspace.

The Alliance confirmed that the aircraft had on board: Two (02) crew members and Nine (09) passengers (all military personnel).

The joint statement condemned the incident as an “unfriendly act” and a clear “disregard of international law and international civil and/or military aviation regulations.”

The detention comes amid heightened regional tensions, particularly after the Nigerian government, leading the ECOWAS Standby Force, deployed military aircraft into the Benin Republic on Sunday to help foil an attempted coup in the neighbouring country.

Following the incident, the AES announced that an investigation had been opened by Burkinabe authorities, which confirmed the Nigerian aircraft lacked authorisation to fly over Burkinabe territory.

The military alliance, which has recently withdrawn from ECOWAS, issued a strong warning against future breaches of its airspace.

The AES statement warned that any unauthorised aircraft violating its airspace “will be neutralized.”