Burkina Faso/AES: Has Nigeria Made a Colossal Mistake?

Burkina Faso/AES: Has Nigeria Made a Colossal Mistake? A few days ago, West Africa awoke to news of an attempted military coup against Benin...

Burkina Faso/AES: Has Nigeria Made a Colossal Mistake?

A few days ago, West Africa awoke to news of an attempted military coup against Benin's President Patrice Talon. The plotters, led by Lieutenant Colonel Aloméko Codjo Pascal of an elite special forces unit, accused Talon of subverting the constitution to grant himself unlimited tenure, among other grievances aired in a broadcast from the seized national television station.

Details on how the coup was thwarted remain unclear, including the roles of Talon's government or other key players. What is known, however, is the swift response from Nigeria, which mobilized political influence through ECOWAS and deployed Nigerian military aircraft alongside the ECOWAS standby force to bolster Talon's regime. This rapid action unfolded against the backdrop of a U.S.-backed discourse on a religiously inspired genocide campaign in Nigeria and the colossal failure of the country's security forces to curb terrorism, which has deeply infiltrated the nation.

Many Nigerians and West Africans, whether out of resentment or genuine curiosity, question how a military lagging in its fight against domestic insurgents could be so precise and swift in bombing retreating coup plotters in a neighboring sovereign state.

Nigeria's military appeared to test the waters, attempting to reassert regional dominance by sending an American-designed C-130 logistics and supply aircraft into the airspace of Burkina Faso, a former ECOWAS member now aligned with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

Amid the Benin coup tensions and Nigeria's involvement, Burkina Faso's military junta threatened to shoot down the Nigerian plane, forcing what the Nigerian Air Force later called an "emergency landing."Despite initial Nigerian claims of a scheduled flight to Portugal (later contradicted by Portuguese military denials of any coordination) and reports of the crew's release, Burkina Faso continues to detain the aircraft and its personnels. Nigeria's Foreign Ministry has confirmed diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff.

 

These events have further strained relations between Nigeria-led ECOWAS, often seen by West Africans as echoing French neocolonial influence, and the revolutionary, anti-colonial AES confederacy.

Wittingly or unwittingly, Nigeria has set a dangerous precedent while demonstrating dominance, even as its own forces grapple with decline: internal sabotage, poor recruitment, and tensions with its key supplier - the United States, over alleged complicity in Nigeria's Christian genocide.

Nigeria has now challenged these allied juntas, whose ideology emphasizes military deterrence against external bullying and long-term dominance in the West African Sahel. Their response to these developments, and the precedent set, remains to be seen.

The Nigerian government and military may have made a colossal mistake that will cost the state dearly.

Family Writers Press International