Frank W. Garcia Jr., a veteran Republican Congressional aide with limited Africa experience, has been nominated by President Trump to lead the Africa Bureau at the State Department. Garcia, whose nomination to be Assistant Secretary for Africa was submitted to the Senate by the White House on January 29th is currently senior advisor to House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) chairman.
Until his selection is confirmed by the Senate, a process that could take months, the Bureau is being led by Nick Checkers, a former CIA analyst who took over as Senior Bureau Official on January 6th. Checkers is visiting Mali for talks with the military regime and "chart a new course in the bilateral relationship and move past policy missteps," according to a State Department announcement.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has just completed a four-nation Africa tour that included Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti.
This week, the State Department will host the first Critical Minerals Ministerial with participation by a coalition of mineral-rich and industrial nations that include DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and ministers from Guinea and Kenya.
While in Washington, Tshisekedi will attend the National Prayer Breakfast. He and his high level delegation are expected to face pressure to move forward with the DRC-Rwanda peace accord that has remained stallled since the Congolese leader and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame signed the agreement in a cerremony hosted by Trump in December.
Africa: Republican Intelligence Specialist Nominated to Head Africa at State Department
allAfrica, 1 February 2026
Frank W. Garcia Jr., a veteran Republican Congressional aide with limited Africa experience, has been nominated by President Trump to lead the Africa Bureau at the State… Read more »
Frank W. Garcia Jr., (left) President Trump's nominee to be Assistant Secretary of State for Africa and Nick Checker, the Senior Bureau Official who is currently leading the Bureau of African Affairs.
Sudan: Washington's Quiet Intelligence Engagement with Port Sudan
Ayin Network, 3 February 2026
Multiple sources confirmed to Ayin that Sudan’s Armed Forces (SAF)-aligned government intelligence director, Gen. Ahmed Mufaddal, was in Washington, DC, in January, where he… Read more »
West Africa: A Dubious Turn in the Sahel
CFR, 3 February 2026
Washington’s latest diplomatic overtures to the three junta-led Sahelian states send the wrong message about U.S. tolerance of bad behavior in the region. Read more »
Congo-Kinshasa: U.S. Government-Backed Consortium Signs MOU to Buy 40% of Two DR Congo Mines
allAfrica, 4 February 2026
The Orion Critical Mineral Consortium (Orion CMC), led by the private equity fund created in October by Orion Resource Partners and the U.S. International Development Finance… Read more »
Congo-Kinshasa: On the Road to DR Congo's Uvira, a Peace Deal Cooked Up in Washington Shows Its True Face
The New Humanitarian, 3 February 2026
"The world's decision-makers know nothing about what is happening in my country." Read more »
Africa: US Eyes Red Sea as State Envoy Visits Africa
DW, 31 January 2026
Washington has said a visit by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau to Africa aims to strengthen bilateral ties, but the timing raises questions about the US's interests in… Read more »
Africa: AUC Chairperson Received a High-Level U.S. Delegation Led By Deputy Secretary of State Landau
African Union, 28 January 2026
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, this afternoon received a high-level United States delegation led by the Deputy Secretary of State, H.E.… Read more »
U.S. House of Representatives, 22 January 2026
The following are excerpts of Chairman Chris Smith’s (R-NJ) opening statement at the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee’s January 22nd hearing—his… Read more »
Africa: How Did Africa Fare in 2025? A Test of U.S. Policy Choices - Ambassador Cohen
allAfrica, 28 January 2026
For generations, American candidates have asked voters a familiar question: Are you better off now than you were four years ago? Read more »
Nick Checker, who moved into the top job at the State Department's Africa Bureau earlier this month, spent most of the past decade at the CIA. Unlike his two predecessors who have occupied the post since President Trump took office a year ago - both career diplomats - Checker has been at State for only four months.
As 'Senior Bureau Official' - the designation the administration is using for acting positions in many agencies - Checker is charged with managing day-to-day
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Dozens of U.S. diplomats have been recalled from posts around the world - including envoys from 15 African nations - as part of the "America First" policy of President Donald Trump. Africa is the most affected continent, with ambassadors from 15 countries recalled. They include Nigeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Algeria, Egypt
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Mounting evidence of torture and mass killings of civilians trying to flee the Sudanese North Darfur regional capital El Fasher is stirring outrage and condemnation of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary force responsible for the current wave of massacres as they battle the Sudanese Armed Forces for control. In a statement following an emergency session demanding "all parties to the conflict protect
Read more »
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