"In a statement on Monday evening, the breakaway Alliance of Sahel States (AES), of which Burkina Faso is a member alongside Mali and Niger, said the C-130 transport aircraft had made an emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso. In the statement, Assimi Goita, the Malian junta president and leader of the AES, called the landing an unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law. He directed the authorities in the member countries to act to neutralise any aircraft that would violate the confederal space in future."
"On Monday, Nigerian authorities said the aircraft had been en route to Portugal for a ferry mission before a technical concern which necessitated a precautionary landing. [The] crew is safe and have received cordial treatment from the host authorities, said Ehimen Ejodame, the Nigerian air force spokesperson who signed the statement. Plans are ongoing to resume the mission as scheduled."
"The incident unfolded less than 24 hours after Nigeria took part in an intervention in Benin, Burkina Faso's south-eastern neighbour, after a group of soldiers seized control of the national television station in Cotonou and announced the ousting of the president, Patrice Talon. Authorities in Benin later said they had foiled the coup attempt and restored order, preventing what would have been the eighth successful coup in west Africa in five years."
Eleven Nigerian military personnel are being held in Burkina Faso after a Nigerian C-130 transport aircraft made an emergency landing in Bobo Dioulasso. The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) described the landing as unfriendly and directed member authorities to neutralise any aircraft violating confederal airspace in future. Nigerian officials said the plane was en route to Portugal for a ferry mission and landed due to a technical concern, adding that the crew were safe and treated cordially. The incident followed Nigeria's intervention in Benin during a foiled coup attempt and coincided with regional military and political instability.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]