Sahel states threaten to neutralize Nigerian, other aircraft if airspace violated

By Nur Asena Erturk

The Confederation of Sahel States (AES) has announced that it will neutralize all aircraft violating its airspace, following reports of violation by Nigeria, according to an official statement.

The AES explained on Monday that a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso, and an investigation by Burkinabe authorities revealed that the landing was unauthorized.

The confederation condemned “in the strongest terms” the violation of its airspace by a Nigerian military aircraft, and stressed that the AES air defense authorities are authorized to “neutralize all aircraft that would violate the confederal airspace.”

The AES described the violation as an “unfriendly act, regardless of international law and international civil/military aviation rules.”

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger -- countries facing "the same difficulties" -- established the Confederation of Sahel States on July 6, 2024, following the adoption of the Liptako-Gourma Charter, which created the Alliance of Sahel States on Sept. 16, 2023.

The confederation has taken bold steps to redefine its international alignment, including recent withdrawals from the Economic Community of West African States and the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF).