The Confederation of Sahel nations (AES) has given its member nations the authority to shoot down any aircraft that violates its airspace.

AES is an ECOWAS breakaway group comprised of Burkina Faso, Mali, and the Niger Republic. The warning came after the confederation accused a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft of breaching Burkina Faso airspace on December 8.

The plane was carrying 11 Nigerian soldiers.

“In this regard, and on the instructions of the Heads of State, the Arian and anti-aircraft defences of the Confederal space put on maximum alert, in accordance with the Declaration of the College of Heads of State dated December 22, 2024, were authorised to neutralise any aircraft that would violate the confederal space,” the AES statement, signed late Monday by Assimi Goita, Mali junta leader, reads.

Goita described the intrusion as a “unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law,” and stated that procedures were being taken to ensure the security of confederal airspace.

On Sunday, the NAF went to Benin Republic to apprehend fleeing plotters of a failed coup.

According to presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu responded to two different enquiries from Benin authorities.

One of the requests was for aircraft information collection and monitoring.

It is unknown if the mission extended to Burkina Faso, located north-west of Benin Republic.