A Nigerian delegation headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has held talks with Burkina Faso’s President, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
The meeting was revealed in a social media post on Wednesday evening by @afarIssa13 on X (formerly Twitter), which showed Tuggar and other Nigerian government officials being received by the Burkinabe military leader at the presidential palace in Ouagadougou.
The engagement follows the detention of 11 Nigerian military personnel who were on board a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft that made an emergency landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, located in the south-western part of Burkina Faso.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, had alleged that the aircraft breached national regulations by entering the country’s airspace without prior approval. Similarly, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) accused Nigeria of violating Burkina Faso’s airspace, describing the emergency landing as an infringement on the country’s sovereignty.
The AES is a splinter regional bloc comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic.
In response, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) dismissed the allegations, explaining that the aircraft landed in Burkina Faso strictly for safety reasons and in line with international aviation standards. According to the NAF, the C-130 crew detected a technical issue shortly after take-off, making a precautionary landing at the nearest available airport in Bobo-Dioulasso necessary.
While there were unverified reports suggesting that the detained Nigerian officers had been released, Foreign Minister Tuggar earlier told TheCable that the soldiers remained in Burkina Faso.
He confirmed that diplomatic discussions were ongoing with President Traoré to address the situation.
“We are discussing how to resolve this sensitive matter as quickly as possible. It is being handled through diplomatic channels,” Tuggar said.
When asked whether the soldiers were still in Burkina Faso, the minister responded in the affirmative.
