The visit to the four West African countries will serve to discuss the regional situation and will have on the agenda the crisis of violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo).
The head of diplomacy of the United States of America (USA) will visit Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria and Angola until January 26, on a tour where he will "reaffirm the USA's commitment to its West African partners" and address efforts to support African leaders "in adopting diplomatic solutions to the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo", according to a State Department note.
This region has been the scene of action by armed militias such as the March 23 Movement (M23), rebels accused by Kinshasa of being supported by Rwanda, which has rejected these links, or the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), with links to the extremist group Islamic State, which triggered a population exodus.
According to the United Nations (UN), there are around seven million displaced people in DRCongo, of which 5.5 million are in the east of the country that borders Angola.
Despite continued fighting and a critical humanitarian situation, Kinshasa also called for the accelerated withdrawal of the UN force (Monusco), present in the country for 25 years, considering it ineffective in protecting civilians from armed groups.
The ADF is a Ugandan rebel group, currently based in the Congolese provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, and the DRCongo and Ugandan armies began, in November 2021, a joint military operation on Congolese soil, which is still ongoing, but the Rebel attacks did not cease.
Blinken will also highlight the different economic relations with countries in the region, as well as the commercial initiatives promoted by the US to develop infrastructure in Africa and thus compete "in the global market".
"Throughout the trip, the secretary [of State] will highlight how the United States has accelerated the US-Africa partnership since the US-Africa Leaders' Summit, including in areas such as climate, food and health security", the note highlighted. .
The trip of the head of United States diplomacy through sub-Saharan Africa passes through Cape Verde (22nd), Ivory Coast (22nd and 23rd), Nigeria (23rd to 25th) and Angola (25th and 26th).
This is the US Secretary of State's fourth trip to Africa since he took office and a return to the continent where the United States seeks to counter the advances of Russia and China.
This Monday, Cape Verde will be under the attention of the United States of America (USA) and China, as it hosts a visit from the North American administration and another from a Chinese delegation linked to a capital fund.
"Cape Verde hopes to deepen historical ties of friendship with the United States of America and outline new forms of partnership in strategic areas for sustainable development", said Ulisses Correia e Silva, Cape Verdean Prime Minister.
Ulisses Correia e Silva highlighted the "great commitment" of the two countries to "universal values", both assuming the role of democratic states of law, respecting Human Rights.
Blinken's visit comes a month after Cape Verde was considered eligible for a third financing program from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, an independent US government agency – public development aid support, with amounts to be defined, aimed at regional economic integration .
The trip coincides with the visit to the archipelago by a delegation from the China Cooperation and Development Fund – Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPD Fund, English acronym), which will take place from Monday to Wednesday, with the aim of "strengthening cooperation between China and Cape Verde in terms of investment and identification of business opportunities in the country's strategic sectors".
During their stay in Cape Verde, the Chinese delegation will meet with various government departments and entities.
