Burkina Faso has released 11 Nigerian Air Force personnel and their C-130 aircraft, ending a nearly two-week diplomatic standoff triggered by the plane’s emergency landing in the country.

The release was confirmed shortly after Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, concluded a meeting with Burkina Faso’s President, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, on Wednesday in Ouagadougou.

Tuggar, acting as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s special envoy, delivered a message of solidarity and fraternity while addressing the incident involving the aircraft, which made a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso on December 8 due to technical issues en route to Portugal.

A statement from Alkasim Abdulkadir, spokesperson for Tuggar, described the resolution as amicable, noting that both nations resolved concerns over the Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew through constructive dialogue.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later confirmed the release of both the personnel and the aircraft, emphasizing sustained diplomatic engagement at the highest levels.

The incident had initially raised tensions, with Burkina Faso citing procedural irregularities in airspace authorization. Nigeria expressed regret over the matter while reaffirming respect for Burkina Faso’s sovereignty.

Officials on both sides highlighted the spirit of fraternity, with Tuggar praising the treatment accorded to the crew during their stay. Discussions also touched on broader cooperation in security and counter-terrorism.

The swift resolution underscores ongoing efforts to maintain neighborly relations amid regional challenges, with the personnel expected to return home imminently.

In a high-level diplomatic engagement, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, met with Burkina Faso’s President, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, on Wednesday to deliver a personal message of solidarity and fraternity from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The meeting, held in the Burkinabè capital, focused on strengthening bilateral ties and addressing shared regional challenges, particularly in security and counter-terrorism efforts.

Sources confirm that the visit paved the way for the swift release of 11 Nigerian Air Force personnel and their aircraft, which had been detained following an emergency landing earlier this month.

Tuggar emphasized the longstanding historical bonds between the two nations, stating after the audience: “We exchanged views on cooperation in several sectors, including the fight against terrorism. Nigeria remains committed to sustained dialogue and enhanced regional solidarity to tackle common threats.

“A key point of discussion was the recent incident involving a Nigerian C-130 aircraft that made a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso due to technical issues.

Tuggar acknowledged procedural irregularities in the airspace authorization process, expressing Nigeria’s regret and reaffirming respect for Burkina Faso’s sovereignty and international aviation norms.

The minister also distanced the Nigerian government from controversial remarks by a domestic political figure alleging mistreatment of the detained personnel, declaring: “We clearly dissociate ourselves from those comments and express our sincere regrets to the government of Burkina Faso.

“Tuggar praised President Traoré’s administration for the “spirit of fraternity” shown toward the Nigerian crew during their stay, noting Burkina Faso’s recent successes in counter-terrorism operations.

The resolution underscores Nigeria’s preference for diplomacy in resolving regional misunderstandings, with officials highlighting ongoing collaboration despite broader sub-regional tensions.

The released personnel are expected to return home shortly, marking a positive step in Nigeria-Burkina Faso relations.

President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday signed a new presidential proclamation expanding U.S. entry restrictions on foreign nationals from multiple countries, citing persistent deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing that pose risks to national security and public safety.

The move builds on an earlier proclamation from June 2025 (Proclamation 10949), which imposed full restrictions on 12 high-risk countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

The updated proclamation maintains those full bans while adding:-

**Full restrictions** on five additional countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.-

**Full restrictions** on individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents.- Upgrades to

**full restrictions** for Laos and Sierra Leone, previously under partial limits.Partial restrictions—primarily affecting immigrant visas, business/tourist (B-1/B-2), and student/exchange (F, M, J) visas—now apply to 15 new countries, including:

– Angola

– Antigua and Barbuda

– Benin

– Côte d’Ivoire

– Dominica- Gabon

– The Gambia

– Malawi- Mauritania

– Nigeria

– Senegal

– Tanzania

– Tonga

– Zambia

– ZimbabwePartial restrictions remain in place for Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela.

In a White House fact sheet, the administration described the action as “strengthening national security through common sense restrictions based on data.”

It emphasized challenges such as widespread corruption, unreliable civil documents, nonexistent birth-registration systems, refusal to share law-enforcement data, high visa overstay rates, and the presence of terrorist or extremist activity in affected countries.

President Trump was quoted in the fact sheet:

“It is the President’s duty to take action to ensure that those seeking to enter our country will not harm the American people.

”The proclamation includes exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain categories (e.g., athletes and diplomats), and cases where entry serves U.S. national interests.

Family-based immigrant visa exemptions with high fraud risks have been narrowed, though case-by-case waivers are still available.

The White House framed the policy as fulfilling Trump’s campaign promises to restore and expand travel restrictions, referencing a prior Supreme Court ruling that upheld similar measures as within presidential authority and premised on legitimate purposes—preventing entry of inadequately vetted individuals and encouraging foreign governments to improve cooperation.

Notably, Turkmenistan saw partial relief: nonimmigrant visa restrictions were lifted due to improved cooperation, though immigrant entry suspensions remain.

Nigeria’s inclusion follows Trump’s earlier designation of the country as a “Country of Particular Concern” in October 2025 over allegations of severe religious freedom violations and persecution of Christians, though Nigerian officials have disputed characterizations of the violence as targeted genocide.

The new restrictions are tailored to encourage cooperation from affected nations, with ongoing assessments based on Executive Order 14161 issued in January 2025.