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Substantial shifts in U.S. Africa relations have begun. Although the new administration’s Africa policies are evolving and will take time to formulate, several of the Executive Orders Donald Trump signed right after he assumed the Presidency will have immediate ramifications across the continent.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified in response to questions during his Senate confirmation hearing that Africa offers “an extraordinary opportunity” for the United States, pointing to the growth in markets and consumers. But he provided no specifics of actions he might favor. He also agreed that “real genocide” is taking place in Sudan, where escalating fighting as well as sanctions imposed on leaders of the rival armies during final days of the Biden term are pushing this largely overlooked conflict higher up on the foreign policy agenda.
The Africa Bureau at the State Department is now being led in an acting capacity by Tony Fitrell, who just returned from a tour as Ambassador to Guinea. Names of prospective appointees for various policy posts, including the Africa Assistant Secretary – are floating around in Washington, DC, but no formal announcements have been made.
In Congress, the Sudan crisis is being raised by a number of members of both chambers. The new chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Idaho Republican Jim Risch, has called for a “reset” of the U.S. stance and has spoken out on a range of other African issues this month. The new head of the House Africa Subcommittee, Chris Smith from New Jersey and Ranking Democrat Sara Jacobs are also pressing for tougher action on Sudan. Smith also announced a probe of alleged payments for abortion by the Biden administration using funds from PEPFAR – the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief established by President George W. Bush and credited with saving 25 million lives.
Also on the agenda is renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the cornerstone of U.S. trade relations with the continent since 2000 which expires in October. AGOA has always enjoyed bipartisan support, but Trump’s fondness for trade tariffs could pose an obstacle to passage this time.
source: allafrica.com
