ABUJA — A diplomatic rift between Nigeria and the Alliance of Sahel States has deepened after the bloc rejected claims by President Bola Tinubu regarding instability in the region. The AES, comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, summoned Nigeria's chargé d'affaires in Ouagadougou over Tinubu's remarks.
Tinubu attributed Nigeria's worsening security crisis and mass abductions to instability in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The AES disputed the assessment, underscoring existing tensions between Nigeria and the breakaway alliance.
The escalation follows an incident in December when Burkina Faso detained 11 Nigerian Air Force personnel whose C-130 transport aircraft made an emergency landing in Bobo-Dioulasso while en route to Portugal. Burkina Faso said the aircraft had entered its airspace without authorization. Nigerian officials maintained the landing was a precautionary measure due to a technical problem, in accordance with established safety procedures.
Following diplomatic talks, the aircraft and its crew were released Dec. 17 and departed Burkina Faso two days later, continuing to Portugal via Ghana.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger formed the Alliance of Sahel States in September 2023 through the Liptako-Gourma Charter, establishing a framework for collective defense and mutual assistance. The member countries later withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States, a regional bloc focused on economic integration and cooperation. Their withdrawal became effective Jan. 29, 2025.
Security threats facing Nigeria and its Sahelian neighbors increasingly overlap. Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province remain active in Nigeria, with ISWAP also operating in southeastern Niger, particularly in the Diffa region.
Niger withdrew from the Multinational Joint Task Force in March 2025. The MNJTF is a regional force created to combat armed groups around the Lake Chad Basin. Niger's government said the move aimed to strengthen security around its oil assets.
Abiola Sadiq, a Nigerian resilience adviser, said Niger's withdrawal created a significant gap in regional counterterrorism cooperation and cross-border coordination. Sadiq noted that ISWAP's continued activity in southeastern Niger makes this gap critical.
Bolaji Akinyemi, a professor and former external affairs minister of Nigeria, said current regional security challenges can be traced to the aftermath of Muammar Gaddafi's overthrow in Libya in 2011. The influx of bandits from the Sahel into Nigeria has been ongoing since that event, Akinyemi said, making Nigeria a target as these groups moved south.
Akinyemi expressed hope that diplomacy would allow the four countries to manage the situation and prevent further escalation.
