The US wants a true partnership with Africa, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday in South Africa, the first stop on his three-nation Africa tour seen as an attempt to counter Russia’s efforts for greater influence on the continent.
Blinken arrived in South Africa on Sunday, just a few weeks after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov concluded a four-nation trip to bolster support from African countries.
Blinken, who will also visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, said the purpose of US “engagement is our relationship with Africa.”
“We don’t force countries to choose, we offer choices that are affirmative,” Blinken said at a joint news briefing with his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor in Pretoria.
