Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger hit back at Nigeria’s president after he blames them for Nigeria’s worsening security crisis

The three AES members summoned Nigeria’s chargé d’affaires in Ouagadougou on Thursday, August 6, to protest Tinubu’s comments, which they described as inaccurate and dismissive of their efforts against armed groups.

Tinubu made the remarks on July 30 while addressing Nigerian traditional rulers as he explained the country’s growing security challenges.

“Some of them [the terrorists] are not Nigerians. You see, the problem of insecurity in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is worsening our difficulties,” Tinubu said.

His comments come as Nigeria battles jihadist groups, bandits and kidnappers across large parts of the country, while militant activity increasingly cuts across national borders in the wider Sahel and Lake Chad region.

However, Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, speaking on behalf of the AES states, said the four countries instead faced a common security threat.

“Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria face the same enemy,” Traoré said.

He said the AES countries would have preferred a more accurate account of the regional security situation rather than what he described as an attempt to attribute a complex crisis to neighbouring states.

“We would have preferred a more accurate presentation of the security situation, rather than placing the blame for a complex situation on neighbouring countries, at the risk of fuelling misunderstandings and frustrations between peoples bound by history, geography, and fraternity,” he said.

Traoré also argued that Tinubu’s assessment overlooked the sacrifices made by Sahelian armies and civilians fighting jihadist groups.

In particular, he noted that Niger had confronted Boko Haram before militant violence expanded significantly across Mali and Burkina Faso.

“We are not responsible for what is happening to us. The real enemies are elsewhere,” he said.

Meanwhile, the latest diplomatic row adds to years of strained relations between Nigeria and the AES states.

Tensions deepened after Tinubu became ECOWAS chairman in 2023, when the bloc imposed sanctions on Niger following the military coup and threatened intervention.

The measures failed to restore civilian rule, and ECOWAS subsequently lifted most of the sanctions.

Relations deteriorated further as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger withdrew from ECOWAS and consolidated the Alliance of Sahel States as a separate political and security bloc.

The three countries have also deepened security ties with Russia as they seek alternatives to traditional Western partnerships, while Nigeria remains a leading ECOWAS power and continues to back regional cooperation against terrorism and other cross-border threats.

Tensions resurfaced in December 2025 when Burkina Faso detained 11 Nigerian Air Force personnel after their C-130 transport aircraft made an emergency landing in Bobo-Dioulasso while travelling from Lagos to Portugal for maintenance.

The AES said the aircraft had entered Burkinabè airspace without authorisation and initially described the incident as an “unfriendly act”.

The personnel, comprising two flight crew and nine passengers, were released after diplomatic talks.

Despite the latest disagreement, Traoré said the AES countries favoured continued engagement with Nigeria in a “joint and shared fight” against insecurity.