US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has commenced a week-long tour of West Africa, focusing on bolstering US influence amid growing competition from China and Russia and rising instability in the Sahel region. Blinken’s tour starts in Cape Verde and will include visits to Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Angola.
This trip, his first to sub-Saharan Africa in ten months, comes at a time when global attention is on conflicts in Ukraine and Israel-Hamas. The visit is also notable given the recent political changes in Niger, where a military coup has shifted the country’s alliances and increased cooperation with Russia.
The US is seeking to address security concerns in the Sahel by considering alternative drone base locations and supporting coastal countries like Côte d’Ivoire, which has successfully managed the jihadist threat through a combination of military and economic strategies.
Blinken’s visit aims to reinforce US support for these countries and address the expanding terrorist threats in the region. In Cape Verde, the US has supported democratic stability and contributed to various development projects, with additional aid programs under review.
