U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will begin a week-long, three-nation tour of Africa on Monday, making up for a trip that was originally scheduled in August but canceled so the Secretary could focus on the troop withdrawal fiasco in Afghanistan.
Blinken will start in Kenya where he will meet with President Uhuru Kenyatta and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Raychelle Omamo. The deteriorating security situation in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan will be among the key issues on the agenda, according to a State Department statement. Next, Blinken will go to Nigeria where he will deliver a key address on U.S.-Africa policy. And finally, the Secretary will end his trip on Friday in Senegal to meet with President Macky Sall, who is also the incoming Chairman of the African Union, and Foreign Minister Aïssata Tall Sall.