America.gov-World Regions: Africa

United States Begins Moving Peacekeeping Equipment to Darfur

Merle D. Kellerhals Jr. — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:12:47 -0500

The U.S. Air Force has begun airlifting Rwandan peacekeeping equipment and supplies from Kigali to the Darfur region of Sudan as part of the U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission. Two airlift missions were completed January 14, the U.S. Africa Command headquarters says.

U.N. Forms Group to Coordinate Actions Against Maritime Piracy

Merle D. Kellerhals Jr. — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:47:59 -0500

Twenty-four nations and five international organizations formed a group at the United Nations to strengthen efforts to thwart piracy off the coast of Somalia. The Contact Group on Piracy Off the Coast of Somalia pledges to report on its actions regularly to the U.N. Security Council.

Bush Legacy in Africa Is Comprehensive Partnership

Charles W. Corey — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:19:54 -0500

The State Department’s top Africa official, Jendayi Frazer, says U.S. policy for the past eight years has been based on a “very solid, comprehensive and holistic” foundation of partnership that has improved the health and lives of Africans. In an interview, Frazer looks at the Bush administration legacy in Africa.

Hillary Clinton Outlines Obama’s Africa Policy

Charles W. Corey — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:19:23 -0500

In her Senate confirmation hearing, Secretary of State–designate Hillary Clinton outlines the next administration’s goals for engaging Africa. “The Obama administration recognizes that even when we cannot fully agree with some governments, we share a bond of humanity with their people,” she says.

U.N. Ambassador-designate Urges Cooperation Against Autocrats

Stephen Kaufman — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:46:45 -0500

Susan Rice, President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for U.S. representative to the United Nations, tells a Senate panel she plans to use effective and “sometimes quiet” diplomacy to seek support for international action against autocrats like the rulers of Zimbabwe and Burma and other human rights abusers.

Bush’s Successful HIV/AIDS Program Looks to Next Five Years

Cheryl Pellerin — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:02:33 -0500

During its first five years, from 2003 to 2008, PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) exceeded its goals of supporting treatment for 2 million HIV-infected people and care for 10 million people living with HIV/AIDS, a State Department report to Congress says.

Drinking Water Treatment Becomes More Affordable with U.S. Help

Nancy Pontius — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:51:48 -0500

An affordable, sustainable drinking water treatment system designed by a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory and licensed to WaterHealth International is expanding access to safe drinking water and could help reduce the occurrence of diseases such as cholera, typhoid and dysentery.

United States Providing $5 Million to Somalia Security Force

Michelle Austein Brooks — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:48:41 -0500

The United States will provide $5 million to support the formation of a joint security force in Somalia, a State Department spokesman says. The announcement comes on the same day Abdullahi Yusuf announces his resignation after four years as president of the Transitional Federal Government.

Public-Private Partners Bolster Geosciences Training in Africa

Cheryl Pellerin — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:45:59 -0500

Beneath the surface of Earth’s second-largest continent is a wealth of minerals, petroleum, water and geothermal energy. African scientists are working to develop and manage this resource, but more scientists are needed to strengthen the work force in Africa’s natural-resource sector and drive economic growth.

U.S. Nurses Travel to Africa to Boost HIV/AIDS Treatment, Care

Erika Gebel — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:26:38 -0500

A groundbreaking program called Nurses Strengthening Our AIDS Response, or simply Nurses SOAR, is sending nurses specially trained in HIV/AIDS care from the United States to hospitals and clinics in Africa to act as mentors for increasingly burdened nursing staffs.

United States Eager to Team with China to Deter Pirate Attacks

Jacquelyn S. Porth — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:04:13 -0500

African nations look to Asia for guidance on pirates. In the Straits of Malacca, pirates were dealt a serious blow through regional efforts. China joins international patrols off Somalia, adding clout there and giving hope for a resumption of U.S.-Chinese military ties.

United States Withdraws Support for Zimbabwe Power-Sharing Pact

Stephen Kaufman — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:14:06 -0500

The United States no longer supports the September 15 pact for sharing power in Zimbabwe between Robert Mugabe’s regime and the Movement for Democratic Change party, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer says, adding that Mugabe “has lost touch with reality.”

Once a Month Campaign Helps African Girls Stay in School

Caitlin Bergin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:34:05 -0500

In an environment of economic difficulty and cultural taboo, donations of sanitary pads offer Zambian girls dignity and opportunity. Without the supplies, girls would be forced to stay home and miss school during their periods.

Ghanaian, U.S. Universities Collaborate on Solar Energy Projects

Nancy L. Pontius — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:04:19 -0500

Mechanical engineering students in Ghana and the United States, with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are designing and building inexpensive solar-powered water heaters made with tire inner tubes, rubber sheets and other locally available African materials.

Ambassador McGee on Zimbabwe’s Government

Amor Safi — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:06:22 -0500

U.S. Ambassador James D. McGee comments in the Zimbabwe Independent of December 12 on the Zimbabwean government’s failure to care for its people.

Three Cents’ Worth of Paper and Tape Help Diagnose Diseases

Daniel Gorelick — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:51:13 -0500

A low-tech diagnostic tool could bring tremendous benefits to public health in the developing world. America.gov looks at how scientists have used paper and adhesive tape to develop an inexpensive, disposable and easily used device capable of analyzing bodily fluids for signs of disease.

Zimbabwe Approaching “Failed State” Status, U.S. Ambassador Says

Stephen Kaufman — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:55:56 -0500

The senior U.S. diplomat in Zimbabwe urges immediate action by neighboring nations, saying the country’s grim human rights situation is “off the chart.” Under Robert Mugabe’s rule, Zimbabwe is “rapidly deteriorating into failed-state status,” says Ambassador James McGee.

International Community Focuses on Combating Piracy

Jacquelyn S. Porth — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:45:10 -0500

Piracy on the high seas is a crime of opportunity involving hijacking, hostages, ransoms and payoffs. This crime has captured the attention of numerous foreign and defense ministries around the world. They are seeking remedies in the short term while also addressing root causes.

Zimbabwe to Receive $6.2 Million from U.S. Aid Agency

Cheryl Pellerin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:24:21 -0500

Less than a week after giving $600,000 to help the Zimbabwe government and international donors control a deadly cholera epidemic that has killed more than 800 people, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced it will contribute another $6.2 million to the effort.

United States Committed to Worldwide Cultural Preservation

Yvette Ridenour — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:02:45 -0500

Every year, a U.S. program known as the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation helps preserve and restore priceless artifacts in countries around the world, ensuring that ancient treasures will not be lost to future generations. Since 2001, the fund has supported cultural heritage projects in 120 countries.

United States Gives $600,000 to Fight Zimbabwe Cholera Epidemic

Cheryl Pellerin — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:19:48 -0500

The U.S. Agency for International Development is providing $600,000 in critical aid to Zimbabwe, in southern Africa, where the infectious but preventable bacterial disease cholera has taken the lives of nearly 600 people and sickened 14,000 since August.

Bush Says It’s Time for Mugabe Regime to Go

Charles W. Corey — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:14:37 -0500

“It is time for Robert Mugabe to go,” President Bush says as he urges African leaders from across the region “to step up and join the growing chorus of voices calling for an end to Mugabe’s tyranny” in Zimbabwe. U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee says African leaders must “stand up to Mugabe.”

Land Ownership Rights Linked to Helping World’s Poor

Kathryn McConnell — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:29:44 -0500

The U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the group Habitat for Humanity say more attention should be paid to property rights to reduce poverty. Lack of property rights and land tenure by many of the world's poor is “the housing crisis that no one is talking about,” says John Danilovich, MCC's head.

Shoe4Africa Promoting Sport, Raising Awareness of HIV in Africa

Kathryn McConnell — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:14:59 -0500

Seeing athletes in Kenya running without shoes, elite runner Toby Tanser decided to donate his own used shoes, then to establish Shoe4Africa. The nonprofit group receives donations of shoes and money for shipping so runners in Africa can experience sport and receive information about AIDS and other health issues.

Mauritania’s President Remains Detained Despite Military Claims

Stephen Kaufman — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:36:39 -0500

Mauritania’s first democratically elected government was overthrown in an August military coup and its president, Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, remains in detention. The Bush administration joins calls from the international community for Abdallahi’s release and restoration of constitutional rule.

Desmond Tutu Awarded 2008 U.S. Fulbright Prize

Merle D. Kellerhals Jr. — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:26:36 -0500

If peace and understanding could be human, then South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu would be one of the best examples of these concepts because few have worked harder for them. Tutu was awarded the 2008 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding on November 21.

Ethiopian Burial Societies Join Fight Against HIV/AIDS

Phillip Kurata — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:24:04 -0500

Traditional Ethiopian community groups that provided help with funerals are adopting a new mission — keeping people alive — as the country marshals its resources to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The U.S. Agency for International Development provides millions of dollars to fund Ethiopia’s fight against the epidemic.

U.S. Envoy to Zimbabwe Decries Grim Humanitarian Situation

Stephen Kaufman — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:18:26 -0500

Zimbabwe’s humanitarian situation is dire following months of political deadlock. U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee reports that 5 million face food insecurity and a cholera epidemic in what he calls a man-made “food and health emergency” in a country that was once the “breadbasket” of Africa.

Victims, Counselors Reclaim Lives from Torture

Jane Morse — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:01:17 -0500

Despite having lost everything, torture survivors coming to the United States bring optimism and a generosity of sprit that benefit themselves, their counselors and their communities. America.gov talks with some victims of torture and the counselors who are helping them rebuild their lives.