Blinken begins Africa tour in Cape Verde, touting the U.S. as a key security and economic partner

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has begun a tour of four African countries, meeting with the leaders of Cape Verde and Ivory Coast and touting America as the continent’s key economic and security ally at times of regional and international crises. Blinken is visiting Nigeria and Angola next. The tour — which comes as deadly crises threaten the continent’s stability — focuses on trade, security, and democracy. In Cape Verde’s capital, Praia, he met with Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva on Monday and said the U.S. is committed “to deepening, strengthening, broadening” its partnerships with Africa. He also flew to the Ivory Coast where he met President Alassane Ouattara and discussed “shared priorities of strengthening democracy.”