Trump is the ‘elephant in the room’ as the African Union holds new summit
Al Jazeera
Trump’s policies on tariffs, foreign aid and immigration have outsized impact as African Union leaders seek ‘balance’.
Donald Trump is not set to attend the 39th annual meeting of the African Union, which kicks off its leaders’ summit on Friday.
But his presence will still be felt as delegations from the 55 member states grapple with the new, disruptive reality of the United States president’s second term.
Trump’s historic cuts to foreign aid, his overhaul of US trade policy, and his sweeping changes to immigration admissions have all had an outsized impact on Africa, though he gave the continent only slight mention in his wider global agenda.
Amid the upheaval, the Trump administration has sought to forge new, bilateral agreements with African countries, focused on resources and security gains.
“Over the past year, US policy toward Africa has introduced a degree of uncertainty that will inevitably shape how African leaders approach this summit,” Carlos Lopes, a professor at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, told Al Jazeera.
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Trump’s policies on tariffs, foreign aid and immigration have outsized impact as African Union leaders seek ‘balance’.
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