KENYA: US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Wendy Sherman ends her tour of Africa, where she held discussions with national leaders

Record ID: 362195

  • Title: KENYA: US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Wendy Sherman ends her tour of Africa, where she held discussions with national leaders
  • Date: 9th March 2012
  • Summary: LILONGWE, MALAWI (FILE) (REUTERS) STREET SCENES MARKET SCENES IN LILONGWE BLANTYRE, MALAWI (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MALAWI PRESIDENT BINGU WA MUTHARIKA SHAKING PEOPLE'S HANDS AT SWEARING IN CEREMONY RAS KAMBONI, SOMALIA (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF KENYAN MILITARY OFFICERS WAITING TO GO OUT ON PATROL VARIOUS OF KENYA MILITARY
  • Embargoed: 24th March 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya, Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: International Relations,People
  • Reuters ID: LVAB4BRKTEKOQ7FRQLY6R6ZF09FE
  • Story Text: The US Under Secretary for political affairs Wendy Sherman concluded her five nation African tour in Nairobi, Kenya, following visits to Nigeria, Angola, Zambia and Malawi.
    Sherman's visit aimed at improving bilateral relations between the US and Africa, strengthening strategic partnerships with the countries visited and offering assistance on matters of security and political stability.
    In Nairobi, Sherman spoke to journalists at a news conference, following meetings with government officials. Among subjects discussed were the coming elections in Kenya and ongoing efforts to implement the new constitution, passed in 2010.
    Sherman lauded Kenya's efforts fighting the al Qaeda allied group in Somalia al Shabaab and said peackeeping funds would be available to help support their work.
    "We have obviously supported the re-hatting of Kenyan forces as part of AMISOM, and we hope that Kenya will soon either through some mechanism affirm that with the African Union which is really in the lead on this effort, and in that regard as now a part of AMISOM. The US ofcourse supports the overall effort through our peace keeping funds and we urge other countries to make financial contributions to that as well because we are now increasing the force significantly of AMISOM peacekeepers, so its an expensive undertaking," she said.
    AU and government troops took control of most areas in Mogadishu in July last year. Al-Shabaab is under attack on several fronts, with troops from Kenya and Ethiopia also gaining ground in areas in the south. However militants still control large parts of the territory and continue to carry out daily attacks on government soldiers and AU troops.
    Sherman also commented on the current economic challenges in Malawi, after Malawi 's president, Bingu wa Mutharika accused Western donors of funding an opposition protest movement that is challenging his increasingly tight grip over the impoverished southern African nation.
    Historically, foreign aid has accounted for 40 percent of Malawi's budget. But much assistance has been suspended due to a police crackdown on protesters in July that killed 20 people and a spat with Britain over a leaked diplomatic cable that called Mutharika "autocratic and intolerant of criticism".
    Mutharika, a former World Bank economist who was first elected in 2004, said if foreign aid suppliers were not happy, they should simply pack their bags.
    The aid freeze has brought a shuddering halt to more than five years of increased economic growth and sparked a dollar shortage that is causing imports such as fuel and medicine to run dry.
    Sherman emphasised governance and human rights in her discussion with Malawian authorities.
    "There is an economic crisis in Malawi, we have urged the government to work with the IMF and the world bank to put an economic plan in place so that infact they can meet their energy needs and have a strong economy into the future. We hope infact that the government takes those decisions because the people of Malawi expect and want that from their government," she said.
    While in Kenya, Sherman was also set to meet Somali leaders and other stakeholders in Nairobi to reinforce the urgency for Somali's TFG to lay the foundation of good governance.
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