Trump’s Africa comment in ‘past’
Official, Tillerson turn page in relationship
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The top U.S. diplomat and a top African official tried Thursday to move past President Donald Trump’s slur about Africa, deeming it a closed matter that need not be revisited.
“I believe that this incident is of the past,” African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki said at a news conference with visiting Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
The two were questioned repeatedly by U.S. and international media about the January incident, in which Trump used a vulgarity to refer to African countries during a private meeting, triggering widespread outrage across the continent. Neither were eager to dwell on the topic.
Faki and Tillerson both pointed to a letter Trump sent the AU officer and other African leaders shortly after the incident in which he affirmed his respect for Africa. He said Tillerson’s visit was evidence of the close U.s.-africa relationship.
Tillerson, who this week becomes the most senior Trump administration official to set foot in Africa, did not directly respond to several specific questions about Trump’s remark and whether Africa deserves an apology from the United States.
“I think the U.S. commitment to Africa is quite clear in terms of the importance we place on the relationship,” Tillerson said.
Tillerson later met with his Ethiopian counterpart Workneh Gebeyehu and voiced his belief at a press conference that Ethiopia’s ongoing unrest should be solved with more freedom, not less. The top U.S. diplomat also raised alarm over a state of emergency Ethiopia has declared to deal with widespread anti-government protests that engulfed much of the restive Oromia region.
“We do firmly believe the answer is greater freedom for people, not less,” Tillerson said. “We recognize the transition there is underway in Ethiopia, the first ever voluntary transfer of power. I view this as a very positive symbol of the strength of this burgeoning democracy in Ethiopia.”
Anti-government protests calling for wider political freedoms have been raging in a number of regions in Ethiopia since November 2015, claiming the lives of several hundred people.