Rapid Deterrence : Examining Côte d'Ivoire's Military Parade 2022

by @Jakepor21 & @FarooqB90714421 on twitter.

Côte d'Ivoire has long remained clear of an ISIS insurgency, however in the past few years as ISIS has expanded on an exponential scale throughout Africa, it has caught several African states unable to tackle the threat with the primary reason being under-equipped and ill-trained military forces. Côte d'Ivoire was one of such nations rocked when ISIS militants who had caused destruction in neighbouring Burkina Faso on a massive scale turned their attention towards the small nation of Ivory coast.

In June 2020 ISIS insurgents stormed the Ivorian military posts along the Burkina Faso border, killing 14 soldiers who had been manning the posts, the year after in March 2021 ISIS again conducted another attack on Ivorian military positions along the border with Burkina Faso, this attack left 2 people dead, while authorities in Ivory Coast claimed to have repelled the attack.

It was under these circumstances that we saw the armed forces of Ivory Coast undergo an extensive military expansion in the past 3 years by acquiring equipment from various suppliers. The Ivory coast military acquired both new armoured vehicles in customized variants as well as new gear for its troops. This was visible in the relatively massive Independence Day parade that the military conducted on the 7th of August 2022, showcasing its array of newly obtained assets, the bulk of which was obtained from the UAE, Turkey & South Africa.

Various Military & Para-military branches of the Ivory Coast Armed forces presented a whole range of armoured vehicles, each vehicle having been acquired based on the specific requirements of the particular branch.

Harrow Security 4x4 APC , acquired from the UAE ( highly resembles a Spartan APC).

Chinese Supplied 4x4 APC , also appears to resemble the Spartan 2 APC. ( This chinese APC is sold online on various Chinese marketplace sites was likely acquired through the same option ).

Nurol Ilgaz 4x4 APC acquired from Turkey , this version appears to have different lights (indicating possibly a different chassis ) as opposed to the version exported to Rwanda.

STREIT Warrior 4x4 AFSV with Assault ramp mounted ontop. While the Warrior has been shown in parades before but this was the first time it was shown with a possible chinese origin UAV on top.

The UAV appeared to be a design similar to the chinese VTOL ones , however no motor was visible except the single propulsion motor mounted in the back of the uav.

TAG Terrier LT-79 4x4 APC acquired from UAE.

Kaiman 4x4 recon APC , acquired from Belarus which has been shown in past parades.

DCD Springbuck SD MRAP , acquired from South Africa.

Cobra 2 4x4 APC , acquired from Turkey , Cobra 2 appears to have become the main backbone of Ivory Coast's Military armour as atleast 5 different versions of the Cobra 2 were acquired.

Cobra 2 4x4 Command variant , it appeared to have a extended operator space as well mutliple comms antennas.

Cobra 2 4x4 APC fitted a APU/NBC Filter as well as a IED/GSM Jammer.

Cobra 2 4x4 MEDEVAC version.

Cobra 2 4x4 Recovery Vehicle version , intended for use with the large Cobra 2 fleet.

DCD Springbuck HD MRAP , a more heavier and well protected version of the Springbuck SD which was also acquired, both of them from South Africa.

2 of the DCD Springbuck HD MRAP also appeared to be fitted with a IED/GSM Jammer of a unknown origin,( possibly south african as well ).

CAN-AM MAVERICK SPORT MAX DPS , acquired from Canada for use with Ivory Coast SOF units.

DELAIR DT26 UAV , a handful of which were acquired from France, likely to be used by SOF units.

IAG Jaws 4x4 APC , likely acquired from IAG UAE.

BATT UMG 4x4 APC , acquired from UAE.

WZ-551 6x6 IFV equipped with a manned turret , acquired from China. Appeared to be fitted with A/C units as well.

WZ-551 6x6 APC version , also acquired from China.

In addition to armoured vehicles, the Ivory coast paramilitary units also paraded Toyota LC-79s fitted with DIY armour/steel plates in front of either the windows or the engine block. This is likely the result of what Allied African forces have experienced in ISIS insurgency ops around the region. Additionally, we see hints of decreased French influence in the region as no new french supplied armoured vehicles were spotted in the parade as opposed to the large numbers of French-made Acmat Bastion vehicles showcased in the 2018 parade.

The general trend with Ivory Coast units appears to have been a conversion of its military from ill-equipped units having limited numbers of soviet era tracked APCs (BMP1 etc ) and large wheeled 8x8 APCs (BTR-70s) towards smaller 4x4 APCs and MRAPs in large numbers, indicating the Ivory Coast's new doctrine appears to be based on Rapid Intervention units having large numbers of small but well-protected vehicles with the ability to mobilize within a quick time and to provide Rapid Deterrence, these units are referred to as Combined Arms Tactical Groups by the Ivory Coast. This combined with well-trained and well-equipped troops would provide Ivory Coast with the means to prevent ISIS from entering its border.