A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open
competition for organizations to submit applications to provide specialized counter improvised
explosive device (C-IED) and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) trainings and equipment to the
Ivorian Force Recherche et d’Assistance de la Police (FRAP) and the United Intervention
Gendarmerie Nationale (UIGN).
The central Sahel is a global epicenter of terrorism. Countries in the region face an acute threat
from violent extremist organizations (VEOs) affiliated with al-Qaida and ISIS operating in the
central Sahel. Over the past three years, these VEOs have expanded from the central Sahel into
the northern border regions of Coastal West Africa (CWA) littoral state (predominately Benin,
Togo, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana). The VEO threat in CWA is increasing. According to Armed
Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) data, 2023 recorded the highest number of
VEO events in CWA ever (219), peaking in Q4 (65) with the highest quarterly sum ever
experienced in the region. VEOs are increasingly utilizing improvised explosive devices (IEDs)
to conduct attacks across the region. In Côte d'Ivoire, they have seen a rise in the number of IED
events and sophistication of materials used in attacks. This increase is a result of an uptick in
illegal and artisanal gold mining which has resulted in heavier explosive materials being
trafficked into CDI’s northern border region.
With FY23 funding, CT will provide C-IED/EOD training to the CDI national police and the
national gendarmerie to increase their capacity to effectively disrupt, degrade, and respond to
terrorist activity stemming from the Sahel. Specifically, this program will train law enforcement
agents to render safe and disrupt IEDs. Police and Gendarmes slated for this training program
will be assigned to EOD cells within each service’s respective intervention unit.