U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley is making a tour to the South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the first visits to the continent by the upper echelon of the Trump administration. She spoke to leaders there about how the violence and humanitarian disasters on the continent of Africa could spread and become security issues for the United States.
She is making these visits attempting to show that the US is a firm partner for these countries facing issues. Haley met with several country leaders as well as the African Union and stated that she hoped this was the beginning of “a stronger relationship with the AU and our African partners.”
“The United States very much sees Africa as a very important part of the world. We see great opportunities in Africa. We see challenges in Africa, but we want to support and help in those situations. But most importantly, we want to see how we can partner together. Whether if that is through economic development, whether it is through strategic practices, whether it is through political solution,” she said.
Haley said she also plans to meet with South Sudan President Salva Kiir and Congolese President Joseph Kabila to “deliver a strong message that their governments need to stop making the work of aid workers and peacekeepers more difficult.”
“Our goal is that we should have one voice and one voice is that we have to see peace in South Sudan, we have to see that women are being taken care of. We can’t see any more death. We can’t see any more famine. We’ve got to start seeing the situation get better and I think the pressure is only going to continue until President Kiir makes a difference in that area,” she said.
With problems systemic in many of the countries in the African continent, there are no easy solutions. But Haley’s visits are a first step, a baby-step if you will that the US is a willing partner to help, as it has traditionally done in times of humanitarian crisis.
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