In a first for a U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken was in the African nation of Niger Thursday to offer humanitarian, economic and security aid.
Blinken’s visit to Niger follows a stop earlier in the day in Ethiopia, a trip viewed by analysts as an effort to bolster U.S. relations in a part of the world where Russia and China have been seeking to gain influence.
At a news conference with his Niger counterpart, Blinken announced a $150 million humanitarian aid package for the west and central region of African known as the Sahel, which includes Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Mauritania.
As he announced the aid package, Blinken credited Niger and other nations in the region for their commitment to democratic principles. He said the United States is “committed to continuing to invest in the resilience of democracies to a wide range of threats and challenges.” Read more
