U.S. TO BUILD DRONE BASE IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE (IVORY COAST)

Written by Michael Thervil

U.S. Air Force drone Photographer unknown

It was reported that America is planning to build a drone base in the Côte d'Ivoire. This comes after heavy consideration of doing so last year in the Côte d'Ivoire coastal city of Odinne located in the northwestern part of the African country. While neighboring countries Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have completely expelled both American and French forces and influences out of their country, the Côte d'Ivoire is seeking to foster stronger ties with American and the collective west. The announcement of America building a drone base in the Côte d'Ivoire coastal town of Abidjan this year comes on the heels of the Côte d'Ivoire getting busted for attempting to spark a coup that was foiled by the Burkina Faso Junta, led by President Ibrahim Traoré.

The cited reason why the President and military officials of the Côte d'Ivoire are allowing the American to build a drone base in the city of Abidjan is to counter Sahelian Jihadi Extremism which threatens the Gulf of Guinea and to stop the vast number of transnational threats that the other extremist group pose in the Côte d'Ivoire. However, there appears to be a hidden agenda here according to most locals that reside in theC ôte d'Ivoire. For their perspective, the reason why the Americans are taking such an interest in the Côte d'Ivoire is because they are seeking to not only keep tabs on the growing influence and operations of what is known as the “Trifecta”: China, North Korea, and Russia in the Sahel region, but the Americans are seeking ways to target President Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso.

Roughly 3 weeks ago, the youth of the Côte d'Ivoire nearly took over the Ivorian embassy in protest and in some ways violently preached in an act of condoning the Côte d'Ivoire Presidents joint involvement with America over the failed coup attempt against President Ibrahim Traoré. Many Africans within the Sahel region are looking at the President Alassane Quattara of the Côte d'Ivoire in dismay wondering what does he get out of the deal by cooperating with the Americans given the fact that neighboring African countries now including Algeria as of this week have essentially turned their back on American and the collective west in favor of self-governance. When it comes to the current American and Côte d'Ivoire military cooperation, The world has seen this play many times before by major world powers like America.

It is said by the late Henry Kissinger that it may be dangerous to America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal. It seems that President Alassane Quattara of the Côte d'Ivoire failed to get that memo.