𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚: 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

According to the Wall Street Journal’s January 3 article, the US is trying to offset the expansion of al Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates in West Africa by establishing drone bases along the coast. Reports indicate that preliminary talks are underway over the possibility of allowing unarmed U.S. surveillance drones to use airstrips in the Atlantic Ocean nations of Ghana, Cote d{Ivoire, and Benin.

The U.S. soldiers will be able to aerially monitor insurgent activity along the coast with the help of drones, providing real-time support to local troops in combat scenarios. At a time when France’s military presence in West Africa is dwindling—as evidenced by the expulsion of its troops from Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali—this strategic move is set to bolster counterterrorism operations. Considering the location of the U.S. Agadez drone base, the deployment of U.S. drones brings attention to worries about Niger’s stability after the coup in July 2023 and calls into doubt its credibility as a significant U.S. partner.

The US had  cut off funding for the Niger military after the coup. About 650 troops remain from the U.S. Africa Command’s drastically reduced force presence. According to American officials, the surviving U.S. personnel are the primary target of the Agadez drones’ security efforts.

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