The US has been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November, according to flight tracking data and cur- rent and former US officials, in a sign of increased security cooperation between the countries. Reuters could not deter- mine what information the flights are meant to obtain.
But the flights in West Africa follow US President Donald Trump’s threats in November to militarily intervene in Nigeria over what he says is its failure to stop violence targeting Christian communities. The flights also are occur- ring just months after a US pilot working for a missionary agency was kidnapped in neighbouring Niger.
The US contractor-operated aircraft used for the surveillance operations typically takes off from Ghana and flies over Nigeria before returning to Accra, the Ghanaian capital, the tracking data for December shows. Flight tracking data shows the operator is Mississippi-based Tenax Aerospace, which provides special mission aircraft and works closely with the US military, according to the company’s website.
Tenax Aerospace did not respond to a request for comment. Liam Karr, the Africa Team Lead for the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, has analysed the flight data. He said the operation appeared to be running out of an airport in Accra, a known hub for the US military’s logistics network in Africa.
Karr said the operation was an early sign the US was rebuilding its capac- ity in the region after Niger ordered US troops to leave a sprawling, newly built air base in the desert last year, and turned instead to Russia for security assistance. “In recent weeks we’ve seen a resumption of intelligence and surveillance flights in Nigeria,” Karr said in an interview.
A former US official said the aircraft is among several assets the Trump admin- istration moved to Ghana last month. It is unclear how many aircraft remain in Ghana, but the former official said the missions include tracking down the kidnapped US pilot and gathering intelligence on militant groups operating in Nigeria. Boko Haram and its splinter organisation, Islamic State West Africa Province, are among the militant groups operating in Nigeria.
A current US official confirmed the aircraft has been flying over Nigeria but declined to provide details given the diplomatic sensitivity of the issue. A separate administration official said Washington was continuing to work with Nigeria to “address religious violence, anti-Christian at- tacks, and the destabilising spread of terrorism.” The former US official and the current administration officials all spoke on con- dition of anonymity. In a statement, the Pentagon said the US government held productive meet- ings with Nigeria following Trump’s message about the country.
