Tracing Turbulent Skies: An Assemblage Approach to the Expanding Military Drone Activity in the Sahel

Abstract

Military drones are increasingly flying above the Sahel, watching and killing inhabitants. Remarkably, the military drones in the Sahel have received little academic scrutiny. This thesis researches how the US, France, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Mali, Niger and Chad, by means of practices of assemblage, have been able to expand military drone activity in the Sahel between 2006 and 2020. Drawing upon documents and media, such as academic research papers, investigative journalism, news reports, governmental documents and video’s, this thesis shows that the proliferation of drones in the Sahel is not caused by a single, powerful actor. Rather, it is the work of a dynamic, complex and heterogeneous set of situated actors that operate within and between overlapping contexts to obtain their incompatible objectives.