Burkina Faso Releases 11 NAF Personnel After Diplomatic Talks

By Patrick Idowu

Burkina Faso has released 11 Nigerian Air Force (NAF), pilots and crew members, nine days after their detention, following high-level diplomatic engagement between both countries.

The release followed talks in Ouagadougou between a Nigerian delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and Burkinabè authorities, including President Ibrahim Traoré.

The delegation comprised senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence, as well as the NAF Headquarters.

Speaking after the meeting, Tuggar said the engagement reinforced the longstanding ties and shared security interests between Nigeria and Burkina Faso.

He confirmed that discussions focused on the Nigerian military aircraft that made an emergency landing in the country.

The minister acknowledged procedural lapses in the authorisation of the aircraft’s entry into Burkinabè airspace and expressed Nigeria’s regret, while reaffirming respect for Burkina Faso’s sovereignty and international aviation rules.

Tuggar also dissociated the Federal Government from comments by a Nigerian political party official alleging maltreatment of the detained personnel, offering apologies to the Burkinabè government.

He commended President Traoré for the spirit of cooperation shown and the treatment accorded to the Nigerian crew, adding that talks also covered broader regional cooperation against terrorism and violent extremism.