Bureau of African Affairs
Acting Assistant Secretary Phillip Carter 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 Darfur and Somalia. At the same time, the U.S. has led by example to confront Africa's worst diseases. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief - the largest foreign foreign assistance program since the Marshall Plan -- and the President's Malaria Initiative have confronted HIV/AIDS, 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.
Acting Assistant Secretary Carter Speaks on Africa's Military Development
(Feb. 9): "The U.S. understands that there are new, rising strategic powers around the world, including Sub-Saharan Africa. Nations such as South Africa and Nigeria have used their diplomatic, economic, and military power to shape the continent for the better. Mali, Mozambique, Liberia, Ghana, Botswana, Benin and many other African countries are leading the way as examples of the power of democratic rule of law." Full Text
2008 Human Rights Report
Full Report | AFRICA Only
Trafficking in Persons: Interim Assessments
The 2007 Interim Assessment covers: Central African Republic, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, South Africa, Togo. 2007 Report
Country Reports on Terrorism, 2007
Annual update of this Congressionally-mandated report. Africa Overview | Full Report
International Religious Freedom Report, 2007
Advancing Freedom and Democracy Reports, May 2008 | AFRICA ONLY
Sign up for email updates on African issues.
Contract Awarded to Construct the new US Embassy in Monrovia
(Mar. 10): The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations and the Bureau of Administration announced the award of a $135.4 million contract to build a New Embassy Compound (NEC) in Monrovia, Liberia. The NEC in Monrovia will be constructed by B.L. Harbert International, LLC of Birmingham, Alabama. Full Text
Codemnation of International Humanitarian Organizations Expulsions
(Mar. 6): The United States condemns the expulsions of international humanitarian organizations from Sudan by the Government of Sudan (GOS). These organizations provide critical humanitarian assistance to millions of Sudanese, and the forced departure of these organizations immediately and seriously threatens the lives and well-being of displaced populations. Full Text
Guinea-Bissau Announces Interim President
(Mar. 4): The United States welcomes the successful transition of power in Guinea-Bissau to Parliament Speaker Raimundo Pereira, the constitutional successor to the late President Joao Nino Vieira. We congratulate Guinea-Bissau for adhering to its constitution under extraordinary circumstances. Full Text
ICC Arrest Warrant Issued For Sudanese President Bashir
(Mar. 4): We urge the Government of Sudan, armed rebel groups, and all other concerned parties to exercise restraint in responding to this development and to ensure the safety and security of vulnerable Sudanese populations, international civilians, and peacekeepers on the ground. Full Text
U.S. and United Nations Sanctions on Top Leaders of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda
(Mar. 3): Today, March 3, the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) designated four leaders of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Full Text
Assassinations in Guinea-Bissau
(Mar. 2): The U.S. strongly condemns the violence that occurred in Guinea-Bissau over the weekend that resulted in the assassination of President Joao Bernardo “Nino” Vieira and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces General Batista Tagmé Na Waï. Full Text
Sign up for email updates on African issues.
Watch the Daily Press Briefing and read other releases on Africa.
2008 Human Rights Report
(Feb. 25): The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2008 has been released. Full Report | AFRICA Only
Death of Eleven Burundian Soldiers in Mogadishu
(Feb. 24): The United States strongly condemns the February 22 attack on African Union peacekeepers by a violent extremist fringe in Somalia. Full Text
U.S. Welcomes Mauritanian President's Proposed Dialogue
(Feb. 23): The United States welcomes the proposal made by President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheick Abdallahi to the International Contact Group that met in Paris on February 20, 2009 to discuss Mauritania. Full Text
Darfur-Doha Agreement of Goodwill
(Feb. 17): The United States is encouraged by the consultations between Sudan's Government of National Unity and the Justice and Equality Movement this week in Doha, which resulted in the February 17 signing of an Agreement of Goodwill and Confidence-Building for the Settlement of the Problem in Darfur. Full Text
Madagascar Crisis
(Jan. 29): The United States is deeply concerned by the recent political violence in Madagascar. We call on Madagascar's leaders and the Malagasy people to exercise restraint and avoid all further violence. Full Text
Condemnation of Darfur Bombings
(Jan. 27): The United States condemns the military activity carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in North and South Darfur since January 22, as well as the incursion by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) into Muhajaria and other areas of South Darfur, which resulted in an increase of violence over the last week. Full Text
State Department Contributes $125 Million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(Jan. 27): The United States is pleased to announce an initial contribution of $125 million toward the 2009 operations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Full Text
Call for Return to Constitutional Order in Mauritania
(Jan. 23): President Abdallahi's first attempt to return to Nouakchott since his ostensible release from detention by the military junta in December was blocked by junta security forces on January 22. Full Text
The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.