Ivory Coast reportedly wants the US to station spy planes in the country to help it fight jihadists who have gained territory across much of West Africa in recent months.
Extremist groups, including some linked to al-Qaida, have turned the region into the world’s terrorism epicenter, forcing millions to flee and further destabilizing some of the world’s poorest regions.
Their territorial expansion has been aided by several regional countries breaking long-term security alliances with Western nations, replacing their assistance with help from Russia, which analysts say is a far weaker partner.
Some experts now fear that fighting between jihadi groups could turn West Africa into an “insurgency corridor” spanning 1,000 miles, Bloomberg reported.