US Secretary of State visited Africa after a long visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov late July, Blinken aims to fix Russian Influence on the Continent.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, arrived in South Africa on Sunday, starting on a three-nation African visit, following the need for Washington to scale up diplomacy to counter Russian control on the continent.
His visit comes after a long tour of Africa by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov late last month.
South Africa, the foremost in the developing world, has not picked sides in the Ukraine war, failing to join the Western incite to disapprove Moscow, which had opposed apartheid before the end of white minority rule in 1994.
Blinken is expected to hold talks on Monday with South African counterpart Naledi Pandor and also participate in a policy statement on the US government’s new Africa strategy, Pretoria reported in a statement.
“The two will discuss ongoing and recent developments relating to the global geopolitical situation,” it noted.
“African countries are Geostrategic players and critical partners on the most pressing issues of our day, from promoting an open and stable international system to tackling the effects of climate change, food insecurity, and global pandemics”. The American State proclaimed.
The African powerhouse, which flaunts great diplomatic influence beyond the continent, is now owned by a group of surfacing economies called BRICS.
President Vladimir Putin of called upon BRICS countries –Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — to conjoin in the face of “selfish actions” from the West.
According to Fonteh Akum, the head of the Pretoria-based think-tank Institute for Security Studies, Blinken’s visit is to aid the US in understanding the southern African country’s position.
“It also looking to bring South Africa further into the Western fold”, Akum declared.
ants to engage differently and… move towards understanding Africa’s agency in international relations and therefore the growth in diplomatic engagements,” the expert said.
Blinken’s trip comes after a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Benin, Cameron, and Guinea-Bissau late last month.
Lavrov’s Africa trip had him visit Congo-Brazzaville, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Uganda.
“Blinken is coming after Lavrov and Macron, this shows that Africa is entering a phase within which there is another bout of great power competition over the continent,” said Akum.
Since Blinken’s appointment early last year, it is his second trip to Africa.
The US secretary of State is expected to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo later this week, aiming to enhance support for sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest country to find solutions that will turn the page on decades of conflict.
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Blinken’s tour will come to an end in Rwanda, which has experienced a heating atmosphere raising tensions with DR Congo after it accused Rwanda of backing M23 rebels, a charge Kigali challenges.
