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Why Did Mike Pompeo Suddenly Stop Trash-Talking China When He Visited Africa This Week?

by Cobus van Staden
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa on February 19, 2020. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / POOL / AFP

The recent visit of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Africa came at a time when the US relationship with the continent is decidedly mixed. The wrangles about whether U.S. forces in Africa will be reduced and the political fallout from the administration’s expanded restrictions on work and residency visa applications from several African countries are both ongoing.

He also didn’t make any major announcements about new development initiatives, focusing his attention on measures like the Prosper Africa initiative announced in 2019.

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