Participants stand at ease during the opening ceremony of the US Sponsored Flintlock exercises at the site of the new French-backed international counter-terrorism academy in Jacqueville, Ivory Coast on Feb 20, 2022 (Photo: REUTERS/Luc Gnago)

Ivory Coast’s Chief of the Defence Staff Lassina Doumbia stands with US Ambassador Richard K Bell as they prepare to give a news briefing during the opening ceremony of the US sponsored Flintlock exercises at the site of the new French-backed international counter-terrorism academy in Jacqueville, Ivory Coast, on Feb 20, 2022 (Photo: REUTERS/Luc Gnago)

The Rear Admiral Jamie Sands, Commander of Special Operations Command Africa, speaks during the opening ceremony of the US Sponsored Flintlock exercises at the site of the new French-backed International counter-terrorism academy in Jacquevilla, Ivory Coast, on Feb 20, 2022 (Photo: REUTERS/Luc Gnago)

Ivory Coast’s Chief of the Defence Staff Lassina Doumbia walks with US Ambassador Richard K Bell during the opening ceremony of the US sponsored Flintlock exercises at the site of the new French-backed International counter-terrorism academy in Jacquevilla, Ivory Coast Feb 2022 (Photo: REUTERS/Luc Gnago)

Participants walk during the opening ceremony of the U.S. sponsored Flintlock exercises at the site of the new French-backed international counter-terrorism academy in Jacqueville, Ivory Coast, on Feb 20, 2022 (Photo: REUTERS/Luc Gnago)

JACQUEVILLE, Ivory Coast: The United States’ yearly counter-terrorism training program for African forces began on Sunday (Feb 20) in Ivory Coast at a time of upheaval in which Islamist fighters control large areas, coups are on the rise and French forces are winding down.

The training program, known as Flintlock, will bring together more than 400 soldiers from across West Africa to bolster the skills of forces, some of which are under regular attack by armed groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

Those not present included forces from Guinea and two countries worst-hit by violence, Mali and Burkina Faso. Military juntas have snatched power in those three countries since 2020, raising concerns about a return to West Africa’s post-colonial reputation as a “coup belt”.

Central to this year’s training is coordination between different forces fighting the same enemy.

“A main focus of Flintlock is information sharing. If we can’t communicate, we can’t work together,” said Admiral Jamie Sands, Commander of the US Special Operations Command Africa, at the opening ceremony.

Islamist militants roam across large areas of the Sahel, the arid band of terrain south of the Sahara Desert. Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have been overrun by attacks since 2015 that have killed thousands and uprooted more than 2 million people. Security experts say insurgents have infiltrated coastal countries including Benin and Ivory Coast.

The groups ghost across poorly-policed borders, confounding a mosaic of local and international forces who have spent billions of dollars trying eliminate the threat.