The Digest:
The 11 Nigerian Air Force personnel detained in Burkina Faso after an emergency landing last week have been safely transferred to Ghana, marking a diplomatic resolution to a tense regional incident. The soldiers arrived in Accra aboard a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft and were received by Ghanaian officials before proceeding with their originally scheduled journey to Portugal.
Key Points:
- The soldiers landed in Accra on Friday after their release by Burkinabè authorities
- They were received by Ghana’s Special Envoy to the AES, Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, and Nigerian High Commission officials
- Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar confirmed the personnel were “accorded a warm reception” by Ghanaian counterparts
- The detainment followed an emergency landing in Bobo-Dioulasso due to a reported technical issue
- Burkina Faso and the Alliance of Sahel States initially termed the entry an airspace violation
- Nigeria maintained that the landing was a safety precaution under international aviation protocols
- A high-level delegation led by Tuggar secured the soldiers’ release after talks with President Ibrahim Traoré
- The incident highlighted ongoing diplomatic friction between ECOWAS members and the AES bloc
Sources: Nigerian Foreign Ministry, Premium Times
