A Nigerian Air Force plane landed in Burkina Faso. This made a diplomatic problem. Burkina Faso officials said the plane did not have permission. They kept eleven Nigerian soldiers for a short time.
The plane was going to Portugal. It had a technical problem. Nigerian officials said it needed to land at the nearest safe airport. But Burkina Faso officials said it was not allowed. They called it a violation.
The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) agreed with Burkina Faso. They said the event was unfriendly. The soldiers were then kept. This made the situation tense.
The AES countries left ECOWAS in January. Nigeria is a strong member of ECOWAS. This caused distrust. A small problem became a big political issue.
The soldiers were later freed. But there were different stories. This showed communication problems.
Now, the AES will stop any plane without permission. Military planes must be careful. They need to check flight plans. This event shows new divisions in West Africa.