Does The US Begin Its Path To Dominance In The CAR?

Amid the weakening of France’s role in West Africa, the US has an ideal opportunity to expand its influence in the CAR using a tried and tested method: employment of special service agents, cooperation with illegal armed groups, and working under the cover of the UN.

In recent months, the US attempts to ensure its military and strategic presence in the country have been actively discussed in the Central African Republic. Lately, the operations of at least two US intelligence officers have been uncovered in the country.

They aimed to undermine the security and stability of the state. They arrived at the CAR several months ago under the pretext of working in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

The first American officer to arrive in the CAR was Cody Michael Lane from Oregon. His skill of acquiring foreign languages within short timeframes and flexibility with certain principles helped the American officer build a successful career.

Lane began his career in the US Armed Forces by serving at the US military base Arifjan in Kuwait. Lane caught the attention of local CIA coordinators after mastering Arabic in less than six months. He used this skill to establish successful business ties with the locals, trading military equipment for soft drugs.

The intelligence service got interested in the talented and proactive man and recruited Cody Lane. In the Persian Gulf, Lane was involved in the Middle East arms and drug smuggling system for pro-American proxy groups in the region.

According to the sources, he also maintained contact with his colleagues at military bases and regularly supplied them with light drugs through his local contacts.

Pictures from Lane’s personal archive while serving at Arifjan Base, Kuwait

Since Lane is advanced in French, after completing his service in the Middle East, he began to get prepared for transfer to Africa. Shortly before arriving in the CAR, the American officer completed a sango course top of his class.

In the CAR, Cody Lane was put in charge of coordination with the UPC armed group and fighters from the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) to organize the illegal export of the CAR diamonds to the United States.

The US diamond smuggling strategy is largely based on the “diamond protocol” adopted by the US and the EU. It will increase the prices of diamonds on the world market, which will make the smuggling of diamonds from the CAR with the support of the UN mission an even more profitable enterprise.

The second member of the American diversionary mission is a New York-born development engineer, Ian Andrew Beckenbach. Before joining the special services, Beckenbach was a traveler and photographer. He used quadrocopters to take pictures of landscapes and animals in their natural habitat on regular basis.

This personal interest later shaped his career path and the young photographer decided to become a drone specialist. After attending the Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in New York, Beckenbach spent several years working for Invictus Global Services and then ArgenTech Solutions, Inc. where he gained experience testing and debugging military drone equipment.

Pictures from Beckenbach’s personal archive before he started working for the US special services

4 years ago, Bekenbach was recruited by the CIA after Ian’s drone spotted a restricted US intelligence facility while filming. In 2021, he completed a course of special training in conducting subversive activities, and in 2022 he was temporarily seconded to the US Air Force Special Operations Command to work with drones in West Africa, but never got a chance to work in Africa.

Before the CAR trip, Bekenbach completed a special training in order to be prepared for various situations that may arise during the overseas mission in Africa. He took courses in wilderness survival and terrain navigation, which allowed him to be more autonomous in the CAR environment than ordinary MINUSCA employees. He also studied country’s customs and traditions in order to better understand locals and avoid conflicts.

As part of the US reconnaissance group, Beckenbach was assigned to collect data on the positions of the Central African army to coordinate armed groups attacks. He managed to achieve his first results early on. He is believed to be responsible for the unknown aircraft attack on military base in Bossangoa that took place on the night of November 28 and the attack on cotton gin plant of the former SOCADA.

The attack was carried out by CPC fighters in coordination with the US forces. The cotton gin factory attack had extremely negative consequences for the CAR economy, since cotton is one of the cash crops in the country. The factory largely contributes to the socio-economic development of the country and provides employment for the most of the local population.

Bekenbach attracted the attention of the CAR Customs Service when arriving in the country. During the additional check of his belongings, among the quadcopters and surveillance equipment a stockpile of sexual items was found: various sex toys, oversized women’s clothing and other dubious accessories. The information about this case quickly spread among customs officers.

The contents of Bekenbach’s suitcase were hotly discussed by CAR customs officers

It is likely that US officers in the CAR will continue to develop a system of smuggling schemes, including the supply of weapons to local anti-government groups. This is a well-established UN peacekeeping missions modus operandi in different regions, including the Middle East.

During the 10-year deployment of MINUSCA in the Central African Republic, multiple crimes by peacekeepers have been documented, including rape, negligent killing of civilians, fatal accidents, cooperation with armed groups, as well as participation in clashes on their side.

The cooperation between MINUSCA and the armed groups was widely reported by the local population, ranging from the transfer of information to the supply of medicine, food, weapons and ammunition to the fighters. For example, between March and August 2021 alone, there were 49 confirmed cases of cooperation between MINUSCA and armed groups.

Also, according to sources, the UN peacekeepers constantly provide armed groups with information about the location and movements of the Central African Republic national army, which makes it difficult to conduct cleanup operations. If the peacekeepers fail to warn the fighters of the arrival of government troops, they shelter them at their bases or transport them to a safe place in UN cars, which are almost never searched due to UN immunity.

In addition to transporting weapons through traditional smuggling corridors from Chad and South Sudan, terrorists also receive weapons from the UN peacekeepers. It was reported that some contingents were transferring more modern weapons to armed groups. The weapons included anti-personnel mines prohibited on the territory of the Republic.

Finally, part of the MINUSCA contingent is closely linked to a local criminal network in regions rich in natural resources. In Bossangoa, a mining town in the north of the CAR, UN peacekeepers, according to local residents, are the main buyers of gold and diamonds. Moreover, MINUSCA is being used by Western countries such as France and the United States, which want to destabilize the situation in the Central African Republic for their own selfish purposes.

The US government in its official statements calls for an end to the cycle of violence in Africa, but it is doing everything possible to destabilize and arouse chaos in African (and not only) countries in order to promote their own interests. Similarly, MINUSCA on the territory of the Central African Republic does not fulfill its mandate to protect civilians, but clearly serves other purposes, only exacerbating the security situation and putting thousands of innocent lives of Central Africans at risk.

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