The News
The US State Department is preserving its Africa bureau despite reports that it could be winding down much of its diplomatic work on the continent.
While a draft executive order that circulated in Washington’s diplomatic circles this weekend would have shut down the department’s African Affairs bureau and many African embassies, Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s sweeping reorganization on Tuesday has left the US’ regional expertise intact while eliminating some human rights offices.
Even so, embassies and consulates on the continent could still be under threat: Six African embassies were on the chopping block in a separate leaked memo, and the Trump administration remains committed to reducing America’s diplomatic footprint overseas.
Some US officials are quietly grumbling that the lack of an assistant secretary for Africa is limiting Washington’s engagement on the continent. But Washington is notoriously slow to put officials into their posts after a change in administration, with Biden’s top Africa official only arriving in the autumn of 2021.