U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris
Joe Biden made his first call as U.S. president to an African leader last week, speaking with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. In November as president-elect, he called South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa. And in January, Biden addressed the African Union Summit via video. The omission of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari from the U.S. leader's call list "reflects not only America's diplomatic priorities but Nigeria's estimation at a time the continent's largest democracy faces staggering domestic problems," according to a report by that country's leading online news outlet, Premium Times. Vice President Kamala Harris is also taking a leading role in U.S.-Africa relations. On January 26, she had a call with the incoming head of the African Union, DR Congo President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi.
Africa: Biden Snubs Buhari in First Calls to Africa
Premium Times, 3 March 2021
The sidestepping of Nigeria is seen as reflective of the country's declining global appeal. Read more »
Congo-Kinshasa: Readout of Vice President Kamala Harris Call with President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
White House, 26 February 2021
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke today with President Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Read more »
Africa: Biden Asks Kenyatta to Help End East African Conflicts
Nation, 26 February 2021
US President Joe Biden wants Kenya to use its position as chair of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) to help end conflicts in Ethiopia and Sudan. Read more »
Kenya: U.S. Urges Kenya to Address Crisis in Ethiopia's Tigray Region
Nation, 3 March 2021
The United States has urged Kenya to take a leading role in ending atrocities reported in Ethiopia's Tigray region, suggesting the use of an independent investigation into claims… Read more »
Zimbabwe: A Letter on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Zimbabwe
White House, 4 March 2021
The White HouseStatements & ReleasesJoseph R. Biden JR., President of the United States of AmericaBriefing RoomWashington, DCMarch 3, 2021 Read more »
Five former ambassadors who led United States representation in Ethiopia for 13 of the past 25 years have issued a call for the U.S. to intensify efforts to address Ethiopia's conflicts and end humanitarian suffering in the Tigray region. In an AllAfrica guest column, they cite "numerous, credible reports of human rights abuses" and a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Trigray region. The authors include Tibor Nagy, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, his
Read more »U.S. President Joe Biden's dispatch of a video message to the African Union Summit, and the message's contents, mark a sharp divergence from the approach of former president Donald Trump. In the message, Biden promotes a "shared vision" of more trade and investment, peace and security for all Africans, a commitment to democratic institutions and the promotion of human rights for all, including women and girls and the gay community.
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AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC.
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