US Deputy Secretary of State tour includes 4 African countries
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau is set to begin an African tour of Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti on Sunday.
In a post on X, Landau expressed his aspiration to advance President Trump’s priorities of developing trade and economic relations and promoting security and peace, adding that he is very excited to visit the four countries.
Landau’s upcoming visit to Egypt follows a meeting last Wednesday between US President Donald Trump and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al Sisi on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
During the meeting, Trump pledged to push for the resumption of negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopia on the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
As for Kenya, the visit of the US official comes days after it signed an agreement with China under which 98.2% of Nairobi’s exports to Beijing will be fully exempt.
Kenya’s move is seen as a response to the US president’s decision to significantly raise tariffs on countries around the world last year, including Kenya.
As for Djibouti, which is the fourth stop of the visit, its home to the largest US base in Africa, and the importance of this base lies in the country’s location on the Bab al Mandeb Strait, which is the southern entrance to the Red Sea, and a link between Europe and East Asia.
Besides the US base, Djibouti is China’s only military base outside its borders, Japan’s first overseas military base since World War II, the most important French military unit in Africa, and two bases for Spain and Italy.
