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A high-stakes diplomatic standoff in the Sahel region has come to an end following a personal intervention by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, which secured the release of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft and 11 soldiers detained in Burkina Faso.
The resolution followed a high-level meeting on Wednesday in Ouagadougou between Tuggar and Burkina Faso’s junta leader, Ibrahim Traoré. Tuggar, who headed the Nigerian delegation, noted during a press briefing that the high-priority mission was conducted “at the instance of President Bola Tinubu.”
The diplomatic crisis began nearly a fortnight ago when a Nigerian C-130 military transport aircraft was forced to land in Bobo Dioulasso while on a ferry mission to Portugal. At the time, the Director of Public Relations of the Nigerian Air Force, Mr. Ehimen Ejodame, clarified that the crew had encountered a technical malfunction and opted for a “precautionary landing at the nearest airfield, in line with international aviation protocols.”
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Despite Nigeria’s technical explanation, the incident drew a sharp response from neighboring Mali. Speaking for the Confederation of Sahel States, Mali’s junta leader, Mr. Assimi Goita, condemned the landing as an “unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law.” Goita further heightened tensions by warning that member states were “authorised to neutralise aircraft violating their airspace.”
The deadlock was finally broken late Wednesday night. Confirming the success of the diplomatic talks, the spokesperson for Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kimiebi Ebienfa, announced that both the C-130 and its 11-man crew had been cleared to leave.
When asked to verify if the standoff was officially over, Ebienfa stated simply, “Yes, they have been released.”
The return of the personnel and the aircraft marks a significant de-escalation in tensions between Nigeria and the breakaway Confederation of Sahel States, highlighting a preference for direct diplomacy in resolving regional security friction.
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