“In Mali, in Burkina Faso, when they call on – and when others call on – outside forces like Wagner to try to address security issues, what do we see? We see that the problems become even worse, more difficult. Violence, extremism, terrorism are getting worse in states that have called on Wagner.” The assessment of the US top diplomat, Antony Blinken.
Security, economy, democracy
While in Lagos as part of his tour of West Africa since early this week, the US Secretary of State spoke to The Africa Report for a filmed interview.
The US Secretary of State arrived in Lagos on 23 January where he saw Nigerian President Bola Tinubu. The two discussed economic and security matters, including how US investors are stymied by Nigeria’s lack of access to foreign exchange.
Blinken has also been to Cabo Verde and Côte d’Ivoire, where he discussed security issues with Alassane Ouattara. In Angola, he is scheduled to meed with President João Lourenço.
Tensions with Russia
Blinken has been the cheerleader for President Joe Biden’s ‘Africa strategy’ everywhere he goes.
“We’re bringing our A-game to Africa,” he has said at each stop. But while he readily touts the virtues of the “partnership” between Washington and the continent on the economic front, particularly through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Blinken does not shy away from the battle for influence between Russia and Western powers, especially in West Africa.
He warned the transitional regimes in power in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, urging them to listen to ECOWAS and “return to constitutional order within a very clear and limited timeframe”.
Angola connection
The US Secretary of State also discussed Washington’s relations with Luanda, which were particularly tense during the time of José Eduardo dos Santos. According to Blinken, President João Lourenço “sees very clearly the poison that corruption represents for development and for creating opportunities and he is taking very concrete steps to combat it”.
But he insists: “There needs to be even more space for civil society, for the media, who also have a critical role to play against corruption, to be able to shed light on it and counter it.”
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