Earth system modeling of climate geoengineering proposals suggests that the physical outcomes of such interventions will depend on the particulars of the implementation. Here, we present a first attempt to “geoengineer” a well-known teleconnection between sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and Sahelian precipitation. Using idealized earth system model simulations, we show that selectively cooling the Indian Ocean efficiently increases precipitation in the Sahel region, widening the seasonally migrating rainband over Africa. Applying the SST perturbations derived from the idealized experiments to observationally constrained historical ones, we find that our intervention can reverse conditions as extreme as the mid-20^th century Sahelian drought, albeit less efficiently than in the idealized simulations. Side effects include changes in the seasonal distribution of Sahelian precipitation and substantial precipitation reductions in sub-Saharan East Africa. This work represents a proof-of-concept illustration of effects that might be expected with a tailored, regional approach to climate intervention.