The vicious speed at which events have unfolded in Burkina Faso over the last few weeks is a certain reason to be concerned. President Compaoré had been in power for 27 years, yet it took just two days of popular protest for him to be removed. Such a dramatic removal of a seemingly entrenched political figure draws to attention the continual political uncertainty of states in West Africa. Moreover, this has significant implications for the secretive US counter-terrorism strategy in the region. Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordering Mali and Niger to the North, and The Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Benin to the South. Several violent uprisings have occurred in the recent past, notably 1998-1999 and early 2011. That said, Burkina Faso’s international image is one of stability and calm. It has often been regarded as an important mediator in regional conflicts, such as in Mali and the Ivory Coast. This role has recently encouraged close diplomatic ties, through counter-terrorism, between Compaoré’s government and the west. The country has been used as a launch pad for French and US operations in the region. Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, has acted as the centre for a US program code-named ‘Creek Sand’. From a base attached to the capital’s airport, small US manned spy planes have been carrying out surveillance missions across northern Mali and Mauritania, targeting fighters from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The 2012 coup in Mali, which enabled al-Qaeda affiliates to declare an independent Islamic state in the north, made Burkina Faso’s role as a counter-terrorism base even more important. In fact, a US counter-terrorism report in 2013 named Burkina Faso as “a strong U.S. security and defence partner in the region”. This significance is, in part, thanks to its geographical position. Burkina Faso sits between al-Qaeda groups to the north and Boko Haram to its East in Nigeria. The ousting of Compaoré is one that, as a result, puts American counter-terrorist operations at serious risk, if political stability cannot be enabled. On speaking about Compaoré, the International Crisis Group note that, “he is the only actor capable of facilitating a smooth transition...any other scenario would pave the way for a troubled future”. The violent nature of his removal, and the implementation of Gen. Honore Traore as interim President, suggests that this transition is going to be anything but smooth. It is unlikely that the next administration will be able to negotiate on the same international level as Compaoré. Therefore, instability in Burkina Faso, reduces its capacity to be the region’s mediator against the growing terrorist threat. A change in the security landscape might well force the US to rethink its counter-terrorism strategy in West Africa. The case of Burkina Faso is part of a network of US secret intelligence military operations across the African continent. Since 2007, about twelve air bases have been established across Africa that facilitate U.S Special Operations forces and surveillance missions. Missions include the use of unarmed turboprop aircraft, disguised as private planes, to perform surveillance of al-Qaeda affiliates and other militant groups, as well as small teams dedicated to tracking and killing terrorist suspects. Other examples of operations are those occurring Somalia, targeting the terrorist organisation al-Shabab, and Uganda, coordinating the hunt for Joseph Kony, and the use of Predator and Reaper drones from bases in Ethiopia and Djibouti. The long term implications of a gradual U.S. military involvement in regional African conflicts are significant. U.S. foreign policy on the continent fails to differentiate between conflicts and disputes that are localised in their remit, and those that present a direct threat to the US. These military actions only go to encourage anti-American sentiment, as has happened in Yemen in response to U.S. drone strikes. Such actions are a gift to the narrative of al-Qaeda affiliated groups, furthering their political cause. The latest political developments in Burkina Faso expose the vulnerability and fragility of the US counter-terrorist strategy in West Africa. Whilst this episode might offer an opportunity to rethink this strategy, the likelihood is that it will only force the US to install more military infrastructure and presence in the region
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
CategoriesArchives
August 2015
|