The US’ yearly counter-terrorism training program for African forces began on Sunday in Ivory Coast at a time of upheaval in which Islamist fighters control large areas, coups are on the rise and French forces are winding down.
The training program, known as Flintlock, is to bring together more than 400 soldiers from across West Africa to bolster the skills of forces, some of which are under regular attack by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Those not present include forces from Guinea and two countries worst hit by Islamist violence, Mali and Burkina Faso. Since 2020, military governments have snatched power in those three countries, raising concerns about a return to West Africa’s post-colonial reputation as a “coup belt.”
Photo: AFP
Central to this year’s training is coordination between different forces fighting the same enemy.
“A main focus of Flintlock is information sharing. If we can’t communicate, we can’t work together,” US Navy Admiral Jamie Sands, commander of the US Special Operations Command Africa, told the opening ceremony.
Islamist militants roam across large areas of the Sahel, the arid band of terrain south of the Sahara Desert. Since 2015, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have been overrun by attacks that have killed thousands and uprooted more than 2 million people.
Security experts say that insurgents have infiltrated coastal countries, including Benin and Ivory Coast.
The groups ghost across poorly policed borders, confounding a mosaic of local and international forces that have spent billions of dollars trying to eliminate the threat.
France has led the fight against the militants since 2013, but popular opposition to its intervention has grown.
Last week, it said that it would leave Mali, moving instead to Niger.
Diplomats fear that the exit of 2,400 French troops from Mali — the epicenter of the violence — could further destabilize the region.
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