"According to current and former American government officials, as well
as classified government cables made public by the group WikiLeaks, in
recent years the military has set up a constellation of small bases in
Africa for aerial surveillance missions flown by turboprop planes
designed to look like civilian aircraft. One of the principal bases used
for the missions in Mali is in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina
Faso, according to one former official and the government cables.
But the surveillance missions in northern Mali have had only a limited
effect. Islamist leaders have cracked down on some electronic
communications and been careful not to reveal pieces of sensitive
information that could be monitored, like their exact positions.
General Ham said that it had been very difficult to get consistent,
reliable intelligence about what he called a militant “safe haven” in
Mali.
“It’s tough to penetrate,” he said. “It’s tough to get access for
platforms that can collect. It’s an extraordinarily tough environment
for human intelligence, not just ours but the neighboring countries as
well.”
The surveillance flights in Africa, which are mostly run by private
contractors, are part of a classified Pentagon program called Creek
Sand. The Washington Post first reported about the flights last year."
