Seeking to Heal a Rift, Tillerson Pledges New Aid to Africa
By GARDINER HARRIS and DIONNE SEARCEYMARCH 6, 2018
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson sought to mend fences with Africa on Tuesday as he embarked on a five-nation tour across
the continent, promising $533 million in new aid just months after President Trump disparaged some African countries with a vulgar term.
Though it will be his first trip to the continent as secretary of state, Mr. Tillerson noted
that "in my previous life, I spent quite a bit of time in Africa." As chief executive of Exxon Mobil, Mr. Tillerson was known as a take-no-prisoners negotiator who pushed deals in African countries such as Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Chad and Angola that have been widely accused of corruption and poor human rights.
At every stop on his trip this week, Mr. Tillerson is likely to confront feelings bruised by Mr. Trump’s remarks in January
that not only derided African countries with a crude term but also cast doubt on whether Nigerian visitors to the United States, if allowed to enter, would ever go back to their "huts." Despite such remarks, Mr. Trump remains broadly popular in Nigeria, where people admire his frankness.
Africa’s future success, Mr. Tillerson said, "is dependent on security, the condition necessary for economic prosperity
and stronger institutions." The United States now has about 6,000 troops in Africa, about one-third of whom are Special Operations forces who are training local militaries and hunting groups linked to the Islamic State.
He said the United States last year supported more than 27,000 African peacekeepers from over 20 African countries —
but did not discuss the administration’s efforts to slash support for those missions and question the utility of peacekeeping.
In a speech before leaving Washington, Mr. Tillerson trumpeted American efforts to improve access to electricity across Africa
and provide critical drugs for millions of people to treat H.I.V./AIDS.