Burkina Faso has released 11 Nigerian soldiers who were detained after making an unauthorised entry in the Burkinabe territory, this comes after Nigeria's sent an envoy to apologise for violating the country's airspace. The Nigerian Air Force C‑130 transport aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in the Burkinabe city of Bobo‑Dioulasso, on 8  December 2025 due to a technical problem, but did so without prior clearance from Burkina Faso's authorities. The unauthorised landing sparked a diplomatic row with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), made up of Burkina Faso and its neighbours, Mali, and Niger, with the Alliance characterising it as an "unfriendly act". Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Austin Aigbe, Advocacy Officer at the West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network.