(4 Feb 2025)
RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nairobi, Kenya – 27 January 2025
1. Various of political analyst Rashid Abdi speaking with colleagues at their office
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rashid Abdi, political analyst:
"Where I think probably, Africa will matter is when it comes to competition with geo-political actors like China. (U.S President Donald) Trump is at least projecting himself like a strong leader who will stand up against China. And so, I see a contradiction. Trump is saying he will retrench from Africa, does not see Africa as a priority. For China, Africa is a number one priority, it is where strategic minerals lie. It is where major waterways, the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Eden… these are major waterways where significant commerce pass through."
3. Wide of Abdi speaking
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rashid Abdi, political analyst: "Then you also have probably grants that used to help in education, but also in food security. The United States is one of the biggest humanitarian funder in the Horn of Africa, for example and a major cut-back in programmes but also in budget will actually significantly impact the humanitarian situation and you already have a region which is severely in conflict with climate change. So, I think those are real risks that an American pull-back of resources from such a difficult region, will actually severely lead to humanitarian crises, let us put it clearly."
5. Wide of Abdi speaking
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rashid Abdi, political analyst: "A disinterest by the United States will actually mean all these actors rush in to the region to basically guide their interests. Protect their interests."
++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
The Trump administration and billionaire ally Elon Musk moved to eradicate the agency that provides crucial aid that funds education and fights starvation, epidemic and poverty overseas, sparking a showdown with congressional Democrats who blasted the effort as illegal and vowed a court fight.
In one of the most dramatic efforts to push back on President Donald Trump’s bid to slash and reshape the federal government, some Democrats sought Monday to enter the headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development. They were blocked by officers from even broaching the lobby, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was the acting administrator of the agency despite it being an independent body for six decades.
Rashid Abdi, a political analyst and researcher for Nairobi based think tank Sahan, said President Trump’s policy to retrench the U.S from Africa will leave the door open for other geo-political players like China to exploit the vacuum.
"A disinterest by the United States will actually mean all these actors rush in to the region to basically guide their interests. Protect their interests," said Abdi.
Abdi warned that even though the U.S risks losing access to important gateways of commerce, Africa stands to lose more owing to its vulnerability on many fronts.
"Trump is saying he will retrench from Africa, does not see Africa as a priority. For China, Africa is a number one priority, it is where strategic minerals lie. It is where major waterways, the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Eden… these are major waterways where significant commerce pass through," Abdi pointed out.
While Trump has spent the first three weeks of his new presidency making broad changes to the federal government, the fast-moving developments at USAID have emerged as a particularly controversial flashpoint with Democrats who argue it symbolizes the massive power Musk is wielding over Washington.
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