UNITED
States Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield
in a live web chat with the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the
US Embassy in Lagos recently, discussed U.S. policy in Sub-Saharan
Africa with African journalists. Kerry took the first question before
he left for Thomas-Greenfield to continue with the discussion. DEBO
OLADIMEJI was there.
What is the U.S.’s interest in South Sudan? And what is the way forward for peace to prevail?
Well, the United States has always been interested in South Sudan, regardless of administration label, Republican or Democrat alike. Former Senator John Danforth spent a great deal of time, at President Bush’s designation, to help create the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the CPA. And I personally became engaged there because I was struck by the fact that so many people had died, maybe as many as two million people in what was Africa’s longest war.
Here we had a young nation – or an aspiring nation at that time – that wanted its independence. That’s part of the American story. It’s something we respect, the democracy, the opportunity to be able to define your own future. And so we were very supportive of that. I personally visited. I was personally involved. I was there the day of the referendum.
We also feel deeply committed, given past lessons, to try to prevent the chaos and the genocide that too often comes of the violence that can occur if things break down. We all have an interest – and everybody has an interest – in not letting that happen.
We feel this is the part of our responsibility. And we don’t want this to cascade into a more violent repetition of the past. So that’s why we’re committed. We believe this is part of the defining of the future of Africa, and we will remain deeply committed and personally engaged in an effort to try to help the people of South Sudan define their own future in peace and prosperity, hopefully.
President Barack Obama has invited 47 African presidents for a high-level meeting next August in Washington. What kind of subjects will be discussed during that meeting, and what are the opportunities that await Sub-Saharan Africa for the remainder of President Obama’s term?
Thank you. That’s a great question to start with. The President did announce a couple of weeks ago the heads of state summit that we will be hosting here in Washington in August of this year. We are in the process of consulting with our partners on the African continent to determine what issues they are interested in discussing during the summit.
I was in Addis Ababa last week for the African Union summit and I also met with African ambassadors here in Washington prior to going out to Addis, and we have heard a number of issues come forward. Peace and security are high on their agenda and are likely to be two of the subjects on our agenda. We also have an interest in talking about issues related to democracy in governance, and of course, it goes without saying that one of the issues that we intend to have on the agenda – and I think there’s a lot of excitement on the continent – is the Young African Leaders Initiative. I think it goes without saying, and you know as well, how significant the youth population is on the continent. I’ve seen figures as high as 60 percent of the population under the age of 25. So that’s going to be a topic for discussion that the President is excited to share with his counterparts on the continent.
During the AU summit in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian Prime Minister called for urgent action to avoid the further escalating of violence between Christians and Muslims in Central African Republic (CAR). What steps is the U.S. taking to help Africa end this conflict that has led to a humanitarian crisis?
We are deeply concerned about the situation in CAR. As you may have heard, I visited CAR with Ambassador Samantha Power back in December, and we were horrified by what we saw there in terms of the intensity of the hatred and the killings that are taking place. We met with government officials, we met with religious leaders, and we met with ordinary people to talk about how we might better address this issue.
We are committed to supporting the peacekeeping efforts that are taking place right now in the CAR. We particularly thank the French government for their efforts and the troops that they have put on the ground. And we are particularly grateful for the African troops that have been provided by the neighboring countries to help bring a level of security back to CAR. But ultimately, the security situation can only be addressed by the people of CAR themselves. And I use this opportunity to call upon the people of CAR to end the violence, to find a way forward to peace.
I spoke with the new interim president, Catherine Panza-Samba, after she was selected. I encouraged her to move forward in preparing for elections to take place no later than February of 2015. We have provided more than $100 million in support of the peacekeeping effort. With this funding, we airlifted Rwandan and Burundian troops, we provided equipment and training, and we continue to support those efforts. We have in addition provided this year alone $45 million in humanitarian support and we will continue to support efforts until an ultimate solution is found for the situation in CAR.
What is the contribution of the U.S. to the Gulf of Guinea countries, especially Togo, as far as the fight against maritime piracy is concerned?
We are very strongly engaged with the Gulf of Guinea countries. And I met with the Togolese foreign minister last week, and that was one of the topics on his agenda. In fact, he talked about the successes that Togo has had in the Gulf of Guinea. And I noted to him that we are committed to supporting the efforts of Togo as well as all the other countries in the Gulf of Guinea to deal with issues of piracy, oil bunkering and oil theft, and also to help support and secure the oceans that surround the countries in the Gulf of Guinea.
Why do you think so much violence is occurring now in Africa? South Sudan, CAR, East DRC, Somalia, Mali?
I think that it is so clear that there’s so much to be optimistic about on the continent of Africa. Yes, we have some countries in Africa where violence is taking place, but we also have seen some successes in the countries that you listed. Mali, for example, in just a matter of a year, was able to have free and fair elections and start to move that country forward and have reconciliation that we hope will cement the peace that the people of Mali deserve.
I think the same situation is in Somalia. Somalia has almost been in a state of disrepair for almost 20 years, and we’re seeing that country move forward. CAR, of course, is a country where we have serious concerns. South Sudan is a country where we have serious concerns. But there are 40-plus other countries in Africa where there’s not fighting and there’s no war, and we need to build on the successes of these countries, help those countries that are having problems get out of trouble, working closely with the AU, with regional organizations.
But at the same time, we also have to work with those countries where we’re seeing success – Ghana for example. And I know that Ghana is on camera today, and we look forward to working with Ghana. We look forward to working with Liberia where I served as ambassador for almost four years; a country that went through 14 years of war, and a country that is now at peace. So I don’t think violence is the descriptive word that we can use to describe Africa.
Since the U.S. designated Boko Haram as Foreign Terrorist Organization, the group has become rather more daring and killing more people. Is the U.S.-Nigeria strategy to combat this menace really working?
I think Boko Haram has always been daring. They are not more daring because we made a decision to sanction them. We are working very, very closely with the government of Nigeria to address the issue of violent extremism in Nigeria. We’ve had a number of meetings with the government. We’re encouraging the government to continue its efforts and we’re supporting those efforts. We think that to address extremism, there has to be a multifaceted approach, one that brings in not only security and military elements, but also brings in civilian elements to deal with what might be issues that people have in this area that has led them to perhaps be more tolerant of Boko Haram.
How would the U.S. assess the Islamic and fundamentalist threat affecting Nigeria and the Sahel? What is the guarantee that the threat will not affect the rest of West Africa in the coming years?
I think we have, again, a multifaceted approach to this issue. We believe that countries that are strong democracies, countries that respect human rights, countries that provide opportunities for their people, countries that are economically prosperous and create jobs for their people, can resist the threat of extremism. And so we are working through our own policies to address these issues across Africa, and I think we are achieving a great deal of success even in Nigeria.
I was recently in Nigeria and I was very pleased with the level of progress, particularly in Lagos, as I saw new businesses sprouting up, young people who were excited about the future.
Don’t you think that pressurizing Nigeria on the same-sex marriage act that has just been signed into law by the president, which represents the aspiration of 90 percent of Nigerians, could amount to interference in Nigerian affairs?
Absolutely not. As a government, it is one of our highest priorities and our strongest values that discrimination against anyone based on their sexual orientation, based on their gender identity, based on any identification, is wrong. We believe that human rights should be available to all people. And as a policy, we will continue to press the government of Nigeria, as well as other governments who have provided legislation that discriminates against the LGBT community.
Again, this is very much a work in progress, but I think you will agree that the law in Nigeria really went quite far in discriminating against this community, but also discriminating against people who are associated with this community.
How many African leaders have been invited to the African-U.S. summit in August, and why did the U.S. government withhold an invitation to President Mugabe of Zimbabwe?
Here’s what our decision was: We invited all of the countries that were in good standing with the AU and good standing with the United States government. So that’s the reason that invitations went out to certain countries and did not go to other countries.
What measures are being put in place by the U.S. Government to help the AU tackle security challenges and curb illicit arms trafficking across the continent?
When we talk about our partnership with the continent of Africa, we are sincere in that partnership. And it is not a partnership that just started. It’s a partnership that has a historical basis and goes through many, many generations.
I think the President’s trip to Africa this summer highlighted how important that partnership is. We’re building on that through a number of initiatives. Let me just name a few that you’ve heard quite a lot about: Power Africa, Trade Africa, AGOA, the Young Africa Leaders Initiatives. These are all efforts to build on that partnership.
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What is the U.S.’s interest in South Sudan? And what is the way forward for peace to prevail?
Well, the United States has always been interested in South Sudan, regardless of administration label, Republican or Democrat alike. Former Senator John Danforth spent a great deal of time, at President Bush’s designation, to help create the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the CPA. And I personally became engaged there because I was struck by the fact that so many people had died, maybe as many as two million people in what was Africa’s longest war.
Here we had a young nation – or an aspiring nation at that time – that wanted its independence. That’s part of the American story. It’s something we respect, the democracy, the opportunity to be able to define your own future. And so we were very supportive of that. I personally visited. I was personally involved. I was there the day of the referendum.
We also feel deeply committed, given past lessons, to try to prevent the chaos and the genocide that too often comes of the violence that can occur if things break down. We all have an interest – and everybody has an interest – in not letting that happen.
We feel this is the part of our responsibility. And we don’t want this to cascade into a more violent repetition of the past. So that’s why we’re committed. We believe this is part of the defining of the future of Africa, and we will remain deeply committed and personally engaged in an effort to try to help the people of South Sudan define their own future in peace and prosperity, hopefully.
President Barack Obama has invited 47 African presidents for a high-level meeting next August in Washington. What kind of subjects will be discussed during that meeting, and what are the opportunities that await Sub-Saharan Africa for the remainder of President Obama’s term?
Thank you. That’s a great question to start with. The President did announce a couple of weeks ago the heads of state summit that we will be hosting here in Washington in August of this year. We are in the process of consulting with our partners on the African continent to determine what issues they are interested in discussing during the summit.
I was in Addis Ababa last week for the African Union summit and I also met with African ambassadors here in Washington prior to going out to Addis, and we have heard a number of issues come forward. Peace and security are high on their agenda and are likely to be two of the subjects on our agenda. We also have an interest in talking about issues related to democracy in governance, and of course, it goes without saying that one of the issues that we intend to have on the agenda – and I think there’s a lot of excitement on the continent – is the Young African Leaders Initiative. I think it goes without saying, and you know as well, how significant the youth population is on the continent. I’ve seen figures as high as 60 percent of the population under the age of 25. So that’s going to be a topic for discussion that the President is excited to share with his counterparts on the continent.
During the AU summit in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian Prime Minister called for urgent action to avoid the further escalating of violence between Christians and Muslims in Central African Republic (CAR). What steps is the U.S. taking to help Africa end this conflict that has led to a humanitarian crisis?
We are deeply concerned about the situation in CAR. As you may have heard, I visited CAR with Ambassador Samantha Power back in December, and we were horrified by what we saw there in terms of the intensity of the hatred and the killings that are taking place. We met with government officials, we met with religious leaders, and we met with ordinary people to talk about how we might better address this issue.
We are committed to supporting the peacekeeping efforts that are taking place right now in the CAR. We particularly thank the French government for their efforts and the troops that they have put on the ground. And we are particularly grateful for the African troops that have been provided by the neighboring countries to help bring a level of security back to CAR. But ultimately, the security situation can only be addressed by the people of CAR themselves. And I use this opportunity to call upon the people of CAR to end the violence, to find a way forward to peace.
I spoke with the new interim president, Catherine Panza-Samba, after she was selected. I encouraged her to move forward in preparing for elections to take place no later than February of 2015. We have provided more than $100 million in support of the peacekeeping effort. With this funding, we airlifted Rwandan and Burundian troops, we provided equipment and training, and we continue to support those efforts. We have in addition provided this year alone $45 million in humanitarian support and we will continue to support efforts until an ultimate solution is found for the situation in CAR.
What is the contribution of the U.S. to the Gulf of Guinea countries, especially Togo, as far as the fight against maritime piracy is concerned?
We are very strongly engaged with the Gulf of Guinea countries. And I met with the Togolese foreign minister last week, and that was one of the topics on his agenda. In fact, he talked about the successes that Togo has had in the Gulf of Guinea. And I noted to him that we are committed to supporting the efforts of Togo as well as all the other countries in the Gulf of Guinea to deal with issues of piracy, oil bunkering and oil theft, and also to help support and secure the oceans that surround the countries in the Gulf of Guinea.
Why do you think so much violence is occurring now in Africa? South Sudan, CAR, East DRC, Somalia, Mali?
I think that it is so clear that there’s so much to be optimistic about on the continent of Africa. Yes, we have some countries in Africa where violence is taking place, but we also have seen some successes in the countries that you listed. Mali, for example, in just a matter of a year, was able to have free and fair elections and start to move that country forward and have reconciliation that we hope will cement the peace that the people of Mali deserve.
I think the same situation is in Somalia. Somalia has almost been in a state of disrepair for almost 20 years, and we’re seeing that country move forward. CAR, of course, is a country where we have serious concerns. South Sudan is a country where we have serious concerns. But there are 40-plus other countries in Africa where there’s not fighting and there’s no war, and we need to build on the successes of these countries, help those countries that are having problems get out of trouble, working closely with the AU, with regional organizations.
But at the same time, we also have to work with those countries where we’re seeing success – Ghana for example. And I know that Ghana is on camera today, and we look forward to working with Ghana. We look forward to working with Liberia where I served as ambassador for almost four years; a country that went through 14 years of war, and a country that is now at peace. So I don’t think violence is the descriptive word that we can use to describe Africa.
Since the U.S. designated Boko Haram as Foreign Terrorist Organization, the group has become rather more daring and killing more people. Is the U.S.-Nigeria strategy to combat this menace really working?
I think Boko Haram has always been daring. They are not more daring because we made a decision to sanction them. We are working very, very closely with the government of Nigeria to address the issue of violent extremism in Nigeria. We’ve had a number of meetings with the government. We’re encouraging the government to continue its efforts and we’re supporting those efforts. We think that to address extremism, there has to be a multifaceted approach, one that brings in not only security and military elements, but also brings in civilian elements to deal with what might be issues that people have in this area that has led them to perhaps be more tolerant of Boko Haram.
How would the U.S. assess the Islamic and fundamentalist threat affecting Nigeria and the Sahel? What is the guarantee that the threat will not affect the rest of West Africa in the coming years?
I think we have, again, a multifaceted approach to this issue. We believe that countries that are strong democracies, countries that respect human rights, countries that provide opportunities for their people, countries that are economically prosperous and create jobs for their people, can resist the threat of extremism. And so we are working through our own policies to address these issues across Africa, and I think we are achieving a great deal of success even in Nigeria.
I was recently in Nigeria and I was very pleased with the level of progress, particularly in Lagos, as I saw new businesses sprouting up, young people who were excited about the future.
Don’t you think that pressurizing Nigeria on the same-sex marriage act that has just been signed into law by the president, which represents the aspiration of 90 percent of Nigerians, could amount to interference in Nigerian affairs?
Absolutely not. As a government, it is one of our highest priorities and our strongest values that discrimination against anyone based on their sexual orientation, based on their gender identity, based on any identification, is wrong. We believe that human rights should be available to all people. And as a policy, we will continue to press the government of Nigeria, as well as other governments who have provided legislation that discriminates against the LGBT community.
Again, this is very much a work in progress, but I think you will agree that the law in Nigeria really went quite far in discriminating against this community, but also discriminating against people who are associated with this community.
How many African leaders have been invited to the African-U.S. summit in August, and why did the U.S. government withhold an invitation to President Mugabe of Zimbabwe?
Here’s what our decision was: We invited all of the countries that were in good standing with the AU and good standing with the United States government. So that’s the reason that invitations went out to certain countries and did not go to other countries.
What measures are being put in place by the U.S. Government to help the AU tackle security challenges and curb illicit arms trafficking across the continent?
When we talk about our partnership with the continent of Africa, we are sincere in that partnership. And it is not a partnership that just started. It’s a partnership that has a historical basis and goes through many, many generations.
I think the President’s trip to Africa this summer highlighted how important that partnership is. We’re building on that through a number of initiatives. Let me just name a few that you’ve heard quite a lot about: Power Africa, Trade Africa, AGOA, the Young Africa Leaders Initiatives. These are all efforts to build on that partnership.
guardiannews.ng