Pompeo makes first trip to Africa amid conflicting US signals

Washington — The US is discussing military cuts in Africa, has tightened visa rules for Africans and President Donald Trump notoriously was quoted as disparaging the continent with a vulgar epithet.

“These three countries are major contributors to regional stability. Also, the countries are benefiting from dynamic leadership,” a senior state department official said on customary condition of anonymity. The US has been encouraging developing countries to exercise caution with China, saying that big-ticket projects can turn into debt traps that primarily benefit China, and has billed the US private sector as an alternative.

The US has hardly sent consistently supportive messages ahead of Pompeo’s trip. The Pentagon announced this week that it will start adjusting its military presence in Africa as it considers cuts, with resources instead expected to go to countering China, Russia and Iran. “This should be a very important talking point during his visit,” said Mbaye, who is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

One former US diplomat expressed confusion over the goals of Pompeo’s trip to Sub-Saharan Africa, the only region he has not previously visited. “It’s not clear why he is going now and whether this is part of any broader US strategy on Africa, especially when the administration has indicated in just the last few weeks that it intends to exponentially reduce its security and aid investments,” said the former diplomat, who requested anonymity to speak candidly.

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