The Ivory Coast village of Kimbirila-Nord, with its tomato patches and grazing cattle, may not seem like a hotspot in the global fight against extremism. However, after jihadists attacked a nearby Malian community five years ago and established a base in a forest along the border, the US committed $20 million to counter the spread of Al-Qaeda and the Daesh group in the area and other villages.
However, the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to foreign aid have halted this support, even as violence in Mali and the Sahel region has reached unprecedented levels, sending thousands of refugees to northern Ivory Coast. Locals express concerns that they have been abandoned. Diplomats and aid officials warned that the end of aid risks undermining counterterrorism efforts and weakening US influence, especially as some countries in the region turn to Russian mercenaries for help.
In Kimbirila-Nord, US funding helped train young people, built parks for cattle to prevent them from being stolen by extremists, and set up an information-sharing system to allow residents to alert each other and the state about violent events. Yacouba Doumbia, the village chief, said, “What attracts young people to extremists is poverty and hunger. The project came at the right time and allowed us to protect ourselves.”
Over the past decade, West Africa has experienced extremist uprisings and military coups, with Al-Qaeda and Daesh-linked groups taking control of large areas and killing thousands in the Sahel. These groups are expanding into wealthier coastal states like Ivory Coast, Benin, and Togo.
The US aimed to “seize a narrowing prevention window” in northern Ivory Coast through the 2019 Global Fragility Act, which led to initiatives in the region. Experts say that local issues, such as competition for resources, exclusion, and lack of economic opportunities, contribute to the appeal of extremist groups. Extremists have recruited among marginalized groups neglected by central governments.
A UN official noted that Ivory Coast is one of the few countries still resisting the terrorist threat in the Sahel. They warned that without continued support for border communities, even a minor issue could push them toward extremism.
In 2020, Kimbirila-Nord seemed vulnerable to extremism when jihadists attacked a Malian village nearby. Many residents were without identity cards and lacked access to government services, and ethnic groups were divided by conflicts over land. Young people had limited opportunities, and some were easily swayed by extremist promises. Aminata Doumbia, the head of the village’s female farmers cooperative, said, “We were very scared when the extremists attacked. Everyone was just looking out for themselves.”
The Ivorian government provides a program with professional training, grants, and microloans, but it is difficult for remote villages like Kimbirila-Nord to access it. The village is also home to refugees from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. Sifata Berte, a 23-year-old refugee, fled Mali and received training through the US-funded project, allowing him to work as an apprentice in an iron workshop.
The USAID-funded project helped set up community radio networks in local languages, provided mobile government trucks for identity documents, and brought people together in microcredit cooperatives to resolve land disputes. Doumbia, the village chief, credited the project with helping them “sleep at night” by fostering unity. The project also provided valuable data on violence in the region for the US-based Armed Conflict and Location & Event Data Project.
In 2016, Ivory Coast became a target for extremists after a deadly attack on the Grand Bassam resort. Although the violence has been largely contained with military and development support, the freeze in US aid leaves villages like Kimbirila-Nord vulnerable. In 2024, the US Africa Command provided over $65 million for counterterrorism projects in Ivory Coast, but it’s unclear whether these funds will continue.
Famy Rene, the prefect of Korhogo, the region’s capital, said, “At first, we thought that we only had to solve these problems with a military solution. But we saw that this was not enough. We had to put in place programs that strengthen the resilience of the population.”
Before the aid freeze, Kimbirila-Nord had planned to build its first well, create a collective farm, and expand vocational training. Now, residents fear they will be left to face extremists alone. As Doumbia put it, “If you forget, they will come back. As long as there is war on the other side of the border, we must remain on high alert.”
