Terrorism, election drag Obama to Nigeria, other African countries

President Barack Obama of the United States is expected in Nigeria this year. The president is also billed to visit other African countries. The reason for his visit has been linked to the spate of terrorism across the continent as well as the elections that will be held throughout Africa. Also, the US government officials are said to see increased political stability in Africa as good for long-term U.S. interests – a way to stem the growth of terrorism in East Africa and counterbalance China’s growing presence on the continent.

The U.S. was caught off guard during the 2009 climate summit in Copenhagen when several African countries voted with China and not the U.S., the administration official said. The official said the administration must persuade African nations that their interests are better served by aligning with the U.S.

A statement from White House obtained from agency reports says though the African countries Obama will visit are yet to be named, “the administration is monitoring more than 30 elections expected across Africa this year, including critical contests in Nigeria and Zimbabwe.”

John Campbell, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, said the different elections give the Obama administration the opportunity to establish clear policies. Obama is reported to be interested in the referendum is Sudan, elections in Nigeria, Zimbabwe etc.

Expectations in Africa spiked after the election of an American president with a Kenyan father. But midway through his term, Obama’s agenda for Africa has taken a backseat to other foreign policy goals, such as winding down the Iraq war, fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan and resetting relations with Russia.Obama aides believe those issues are now on more solid footing, allowing the president to expand his international agenda. He will focus in Africa on good governance and supporting nations with strong democratic institutions.

The White House is reported to have said that Obama will travel to Africa again and the political calendar means the trip will almost certainly happen this year, before Obama has to spend more time on his re-election bid. No decision has been made on which countries Obama will visit, but deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said stops will reflect positive democratic models. The administration is monitoring more than 30 elections expected across Africa this year, including critical contests in Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

Last year, President Goodluck Jonathan was reported to have asked Iobama to visit Nigeria during his inauguration this May.

White House officials believe the postelection standoff in Ivory Coast could be the model for Obama’s stepped-up engagement in Africa. The president tried to call incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo twice last month, from Air Force One as Obama returned from Afghanistan and then a week later. Neither call reached Gbagbo; administration officials believe the Ivorian leader sought to avoid contact. So Obama wrote Gbagbo a letter, offering him an international role if he stopped clinging to power and stepped down.

But Obama also made clear that the longer Gbagbo holds on, and the more complicit he becomes in violence across the country, the more limited his options become, said a senior administration official.

The official insisted on anonymity to speak about administration strategy. Rhodes said the White House understands that U.S. involvement in African politics can be viewed as meddling. But he said Obama can speak to African leaders with a unique level of candour, reflecting his personal connection to Africa and that his father and other family members have been affected by the corruption that plagues many countries there.

– Vanguard

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Posted by admin on Jan 3 2011. Filed under Africa & World Politics, Top Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry