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AES orders ‘neutralisation’ of any aircraft violating its airspace
The Confederation of Sahel States (AES) has issued a tough new directive authorising member states to neutralise any aircraft that violates its airspace, a development that further heightens tensions in the already fragile West African region.
The AES, the breakaway bloc formed by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, released the order following allegations that a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft entered Burkinabè airspace without clearance on December 8.
The C-130 aircraft was carrying 11 Nigerian soldiers at the time of the incident.
In a statement signed late Monday by Mali’s junta leader, Assimi Goïta, who also chairs the confederation, AES described the alleged intrusion as “an unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law”.
Goïta said the bloc’s air and anti-aircraft defence systems have now been placed on maximum alert in line with an earlier resolution adopted on December 22, 2024.
According to him, AES states have been explicitly empowered to bring down any aircraft deemed to be in violation of the “confederal space”, signalling a hard-line posture in its ongoing standoff with ECOWAS and neighbouring countries.
The Nigerian Air Force, however, was on a different mission. Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said the aircraft had been deployed to Benin Republic on President Bola Tinubu’s orders, following two official requests from the Beninese government to help track down fleeing masterminds of last weekend’s failed coup attempt.
One of the requests, he explained, involved aerial surveillance and intelligence gathering.
What remains unclear is whether the flight path inadvertently extended into Burkina Faso, which lies northwest of Benin.
Diplomatic consultations are expected, as the incident risks deepening regional tensions at a time West Africa is already weighed down by security, political instability, and strained alliances.
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