Bureau of African Affairs
Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson leads the Bureau of African Affairs, the division of the Department of State that advises the Secretary about sub-Saharan Africa. The Bureau's priority is conflict resolution With U.S. support, since 2002 violent conflicts have ended in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the North-South element of the Sudan crisis.
The U.S. has provided much of the humanitarian assistance and logistical support and training for African peacekeepers in Darfur and Somalia. At the same time, the U.S. has led by example to confront Africa's worst diseases. The U.S. Government’s fight against AIDS (PEPFAR) is the largest foreign assistance program since the Marshall Plan. The U.S. Government is also confronting malaria and a host of other tropical diseases. In the long term, Africans have established priorities to consolidate democratic gains and sustain broad-based economic growth.
U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Opens New Opportunities
"Ask U.S.": Engaging on Sudan Strategy(Nov. 4): “Ask U.S.” is an effort to reach out to the advocacy communities and to solicit questions on the U.S. Sudan policy from activists deeply and passionately engaged on this critical issue. As part of the “Ask U.S.” campaign, the Save Darfur Coalition and STAND will collect questions from their members over the course of this week and weekend. Blog Entry | Join the conversation! We're streaming live on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 3pm EST.
New Sudan Strategy
The United States’ new strategy focuses on reinvigorating the international support that is critical to building peace and security in Sudan. The strategy is the first comprehensive U.S. policy on Sudan that recognizes the links between the Darfur and implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. -Strategy-Sudan: A Critical Moment, A Comprehensive Approach
-Remarks on Strategy
-Statement by President Obama
-Background Briefing
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Zimbabwe and the Kimberley Process
(Nov. 6): In light of serious concerns about Zimbabwe’s compliance with the Kimberley Process (KP) rough diamond certification scheme, we await full and expeditious implementation of the stringent controls for exports of rough diamonds from Zimbabwe’s Marange fields that were agreed at the KP Plenary in Swakopmund, Namibia, on November 5. Media Note
Photo Op Remarks with Ethiopian Foreign Minister
Secretary Clinton (Nov. 5): "Ethiopia is a country with which we have very long ties, and have, in recent years, developed a very close working relationship on a number of important issues. And I’m looking forward to speaking both with the minister and his colleagues, who are here on a very important delegation to the United States." Full Text
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Watch the Daily Press Briefing and read other releases on Africa.
2008 Human Rights Report
The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2008 has been released. Full Report | AFRICA Only
Trafficking in Persons: Interim Assessments
The most recent report has been released on June 16, 2009. 2009 Report | Secretary Remarks
Advancing Freedom and Democracy Reports, May 2008 | AFRICA ONLY
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