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STATE DEPARTMENT —
The United States is committed to deepening and strengthening partnerships across Africa, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday in Praia, the first stop of his four-nation Africa visit.
Blinken starts his fourth African trip this week, visiting Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and Angola. Key priorities include bolstering security partnerships and enhancing health and economic development in the region.
Cabo Verde
In Praia, Blinken held talks with Cabo Verde Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva, and visited Porto da Praia, which received funding for modernization efforts from the U.S. government's Millennium Challenge Corporation.
"It is extraordinary that Cabo Verde is the first country to complete two Millennium Challenge Corporation compacts, and now you're starting to build a third one," said Blinken.
He also congratulated Cabo Verde's malaria-free certification by the World Health Organization.
Millennium Challenge Compacts are grant agreements designed to fund specific programs that support economic growth.
Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva said Cabo Verde shares values of democracy and good governance with the U.S. in its foreign policy.
"We strongly condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we condemned the terrorist act of Hamas in Israel, and we defend solutions that make the two states of Israel and Palestine viable. We condemn coup d'etat and changes to constitutional term limits for presidents of the republic that have occurred in Africa."
Cabo Verde is a small island nation that has a large diaspora in the United States.
The U.S. and Cabo Verde signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation in December 2022, focusing on maritime security.
Soccer match and food security in Ivory Coast
Later Monday, Blinken headed to Abidjan, the largest city and the economic capital of Cote d'Ivoire, or Ivory Coast.
The chief U.S. diplomat's trip to West Africa comes as Washington deepens its economic and security partnership in regions where China and Russia have made significant inroads.
For example, Blinken is set to watch a Monday soccer match at the Chinese-built Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium. The Ivory Coast, host country of the Africa Cup of Nations, is playing against Equatorial Guinea on January 22 in what is considered the most important football tournament in Africa.
In Abidjan, Blinken will meet with President Alassane Ouattara and senior members of his government Tuesday.
Blinken's visit to Ivory Coast is seen as a reflection of U.S. interests in its stability and preparation for 2025 presidential elections there.
The U.S. and international community are concerned about stability in the Sahel sub-region of west Africa following several coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Niger since 2020.
Ivory Coast borders three countries that have experienced coups in recent years: Guinea in September 2021; Mali in both August 2020 and May 2021; and Burkina Faso in January and September of 2022.
The United States plans to provide $45 million in new funding, working with the U.S. Congress, to help Ivory Coast and its neighbors prevent conflict and promote stability in the face of regional threats.
With that funding, the United States will have dedicated nearly $300 million in stability-focused assistance in Coastal West Africa since 2022.
Food security is also expected to be high on the agenda during Blinken's meeting with the African Development Bank in Abidjan.
Regional security discussions in Nigeria
Nigeria shares a border with Niger, where the military ousted its elected leader, Mohamed Bazoum, on July 26, 2023, and subsequently scrapped defense agreements with France, its traditional security partner. Bazoum remains under house arrest in Niamey.
In Abuja, Blinken is anticipated to discuss the military coup in Niger, coming just days after the country's military junta agreed to enhance relations with Russia.
American officials have stated that while the U.S. is open to countries diversifying their partnerships, aligning with nations like Russia could be problematic. They point to the situation in Mali, where rising civilian casualties and security issues have followed Russian paramilitary Wagner Group's involvement and France's withdrawal.
The French military withdrawal from the Sahel and the end of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali last December have heightened concerns over regional security.
French Departure From Niger Underscores Fading Influence
Nigeria is the largest country by population and economy in sub-Saharan Africa, and the dominant political, economic, and military power in the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS.
The United States is the largest foreign investor in Nigeria, and the U.S. maintains a significant security partnership with Nigeria in its counterterrorism operations against both Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa.
Angola and Luanda Process
Blinken spoke to Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi in a Monday phone call to address the concerns raised by election observation missions by taking steps to promote confidence in the democratic process going forward.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that they "also discussed the ongoing crisis in eastern DRC and a path forward for a diplomatic solution."
Tshisekedi was sworn in Saturday following a disputed December election. He has promised to unite the Central African country during his second five-year term and to protect lives in the conflict-hit eastern region.
Worsening conflicts in eastern Congo have prompted countries in the region to broker two peace initiatives: the so-called Luanda Process and the Nairobi Process, according to Molly Phee, assistant secretary of state for African Affairs.
Increasing tensions between Rwanda and the DRC have led to several alleged attacks by Congolese and Rwandan forces on each other's territory.
Angola leads the Luanda Process, where Blinken plans to hold talks with Angolan President Joao Lourenco and foreign minister Tete Antonio.
Last week, Blinken met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he reiterated the need for all actors to take concrete steps to ease tensions.
Last November, Avril Haines, the director of U.S. national intelligence, traveled to both Kinshasa and Kigali, meeting with leaders from the two neighboring countries to secure a commitment to de-escalate tensions in eastern DRC.
"We were able to institute a process of weekly check-ins that we undertook through the end of calendar year 2023," Phee told reporters during a Thursday briefing. The U.S. intends to continue monitoring specific steps for tension reduction.
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