Abduljelil IssaA Nigerian delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has held talks with the President of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traore.
In a post shared on Wednesday evening by @afarIssa13 on Twitter, the minister was seen alongside other Nigerian officials during a meeting with the military leader at the presidential palace in Burkina Faso.
The engagement follows the detention of 11 Nigerian military personnel aboard a C-130 aircraft that made an emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso, located in the south-west of the country.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, had alleged that the aircraft breached national regulations by entering the country without prior authorisation.
The Alliance of Sahel States accused Nigeria of violating Burkina Faso’s airspace, stating that the emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso constituted a breach of the country’s sovereignty.
The Alliance of Sahel States is a breakaway West African regional bloc comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), however, rejected the allegation, explaining that the aircraft landed in Burkina Faso on safety grounds and “in accordance with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.”
According to the Air Force, the NAF C-130 crew “observed a technical concern which necessitated a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, the nearest airfield.”
There were earlier unverified claims that Burkinabe authorities had detained the Nigerian military officers before releasing them.
However, Tuggar told The Cable earlier that the Nigerian soldiers who were aboard the aircraft that made a forced landing in Burkina Faso are still being held in the country.
He said discussions are ongoing with the Burkinabe junta leader, Ibrahim Traoré, to address the situation.
“We are discussing how we can resolve this delicate matter as quickly as possible, and we’re talking. So it’s something that is being handled diplomatically,” he said.
When asked whether the soldiers were still in Burkina Faso, Tuggar responded: “Yes, they are.”
Do you think the meeting will result in a diplomatic resolution and the release of the detained soldiers, and what implications could it have for regional stability?