General William E. Ward, Commander of U.S. Africa Command Visits Mauritius

August 17-18, 2009

General William E. Ward leading the media roundtable, in presence of Chargé d’Affaires Virginia Blaser.

General William E. Ward, Commander of U.S. Africa Command arrived in Mauritius on Monday, August 17, for a one-day visit.  This was the first visit of General Ward to the island, and the first-ever visit to Mauritius by a Commander of the U.S. Africa Command, which was established in October 2007.   General Ward led a 30-minute roundtable discussion with the local media on the purpose of his visit to Mauritius before departing for his first appointment for the day with the Commissioner of Police, followed by courtesy calls on the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Arvin Boolell and Prime Minister Dr. Navin Ramgoolam.

During the media roundtable, General Ward stressed on the commitment of the U.S. Africa Command to work as a partner with nations sharing common goals and values, whether on sustained maritime security, military engagement or humanitarian issues such as disaster relief programs.  General Ward also elaborated on threats other than Somali piracy to which the Indian Ocean and Africa are exposed, such as illegal fishing, smuggling, human trafficking and drugs. 

General William E. Ward became the first commander of U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany, on October 1, 2007.  U.S. Africa Command is one of six unified geographic commands within the Department of Defense unified command structure.

OTHER EMBASSY NEWS

H1N1 Influenza (commonly known as "swine flu"). 
More information from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Effective October 27, 2008: Increase in Student and Exchange Visitor Program Fee (more)

The Department of Homeland Security Improves Customer Service Options for Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) Users (more)

French Version : Voyages dans le cadre du Programme d'Exemption de Visa (telecharger)

The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (WWTVPRA) of 2008 was signed into law on December 23, 2008, by the President.  The changes under this law relate to the legal rights of certain employment or education-based nonimmigrants under Federal immigration, labor, and employment laws.  To learn more, check out the new pamphlet on the WWTVPRA here