Exclusive: Ivory Coast calls for US surveillance planes to combat militants in the Sahel who are associated with al Qaeda
Ivory Coast is seeking the Trump administration’s support to deploy U.S. spy planes in the northern region of the country for cross-border operations aimed at combating Al Qaeda-affiliated jihadists causing turmoil throughout the Sahel. This information comes from two senior Ivorian security officials who informed Reuters of their anticipation for a decision from Washington in the coming year.
A senior counterterrorism official from Ivory Coast stated that Abidjan and Washington have reached an agreement on regional security needs, with timing being the only aspect left to finalize.
The White House did not provide a comment on the request, and the Pentagon indicated that it is not planning any operations in Ivory Coast at this time. The State Department chose not to provide a comment, stating: “We will actively continue to pursue our counterterrorism objectives where there is a nexus to U.S. interests.”
The Ivorian Defense Ministry has not provided any comments in response to requests.
Last year, Washington lost access to its primary base in West Africa when Niger sought security assistance from Russia and expelled U.S. forces from a $100 million drone base. The base supplied essential intelligence regarding factions associated with al Qaeda and Islamic State throughout the Sahel, where 3,885 fatalities from terrorism were recorded last year, accounting for half of the worldwide total, as reported by the Global Terrorism Index.
WEST AFRICA UNDER TRUMP’S SPOTLIGHT
The kidnapping in October of an American pilot employed by an evangelical Christian missionary agency in Niger’s capital, allegedly by jihadists, underscored the deficiencies in U.S. intelligence in the area.
“We lack any resources to assist with the recovery,” stated Cameron Hudson, a former CIA and State Department official who currently operates a private consultancy. “How can we conduct a recovery operation without ISR to inform us about his location or the circumstances of his captivity?”
A prominent legislator is advocating for an increased U.S. emphasis on the area. Senator Jim Risch, the Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, emphasized that the U.S. “cannot overlook a growing danger – ISIS, JNIM and their affiliates tightening their grip across the Sahel and West Africa.”
President Donald Trump has shifted his focus to West Africa, warning of military action in Nigeria due to what he describes as a failure to stop jihadist attacks on Christians. Jonathan Pratt, the leading U.S. representative to Africa, has indicated that Washington is exploring ways to encourage Nigeria to enhance the protection of Christian communities.
Nigeria asserts its commitment to safeguarding religious freedom, emphasizing that the nation is contending with terrorism rather than the persecution of Christians, describing the security landscape as intricate.
United States versus Russia
Following the request for the U.S. to exit Niger, the administration of former President Joe Biden temporarily redeployed two BE-350 surveillance aircraft to a base in Ivory Coast, which borders Mali and Burkina Faso, to gather aerial intelligence in the area. This information comes from Ivorian officials and a former senior U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue.
According to three former U.S. officials, the aircraft were removed around the time Biden departed from office in January. According to two officials, this situation arose in part due to Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso denying the U.S. permission to conduct overflights for intelligence gathering, resulting in the planes remaining largely unused.
However, indications suggest that U.S. relations with certain countries may be improving, as their approach of distancing from Western allies and seeking military support from Russia seems to be unsuccessful.
From 2020 to 2023, military personnel in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger executed coups, attributing the rise of Islamist militants to their leaders, who were supported by the former colonial power France and Western allies. Nonetheless, the violence driven by a prolonged struggle with Islamist factions associated with Al Qaeda and Islamic State has escalated since then.
Officials from the Trump administration have begun exploring enhanced collaboration with Mali, which is engaged in a struggle against Al Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). The group has taken foreigners hostage for ransom to support its activities, and Reuters reported in October that an agreement was made to release two citizens of the United Arab Emirates for approximately $50 million.
In July, Rudolph Atallah, a counterterrorism official from the White House, visited Bamako, the capital of Mali, where he informed local media about the U.S. interest in enhancing business and security collaboration.
“That marks the start of mending a relationship,” stated Peter Pham, a former U.S. envoy to the Sahel during the initial Trump administration. “We possess unique capabilities that, frankly, have no substitutes.” These nations are discovering that.
After the visit in July, the U.S. supplied intelligence that assisted Mali in targeting an insurgent leader, according to a U.S. official and two former U.S. officials.
