After a period of diplomatic uncertainty, Nigeria and the United States have taken a new step in their military alliance. The two nations have signed an enhanced cooperation agreement, marked by the operational deployment of MQ-9 Reaper drones on Nigerian soil.

Technological support based in Bauchi

Stationed in Bauchi State, these high-tech aircraft are piloted by a contingent of approximately 200 American military personnel . While these platforms are known worldwide for their strike capabilities, their current mission remains strictly defined:

1. Intelligence and Surveillance (ISR): Collection of data on the movements of armed groups.
2. Training: Skills transfer to Nigerian forces for long-term empowerment.
3. Joint analysis: A joint cell (AFRICOM and Nigerian army) processes information in real time to optimize operations on the ground.

"Although the MQ-9s can be armed, their current use is limited exclusively to intelligence gathering," said General Samaila Uba, spokesman for the Nigerian military.

A tense security and geopolitical context

This deployment responds to a dual emergency for Nigeria, which has been facing the bloody insurgency of Boko Haram in the northeast since 2009, and the rise of "bandit" groups (criminal and terrorist gangs) in the northwest and central regions.

For the United States, this repositioning in Nigeria is strategic. It comes a few months after the forced withdrawal of the Agadez base in Niger (September 2024), following tensions with the Nigerien military junta. Nigeria thus becomes the new pivot of American surveillance in an increasingly unstable Sahel.