* Clinton to be top U.S. official to visit South Sudan
* She will pay her respects to Nelson Mandela
* U.S. increasingly focusing on African security ties
(Updates with details, plan to attend Ghana funeral, prev
WASHINGTON)
By Andrew Quinn
DAKAR, July 31 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton arrived in Senegal on Tuesday, beginning a trip that
will take her both to Africa’s newest nation South Sudan and on
a private visit to the continent’s elder statesman, 94-year-old
anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela.
While Clinton’s public focus will be on Africa’s democratic
achievements and economic potential, the trip also underscores
U.S. security ties in the face of growing threats – from
Islamist militants to narcotics cartels.
“The security threats are becoming much more visible and in
some ways dangerous than they were before,” said Jennifer Cooke,
the head of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington.
“There are big global issues on the table, and the U.S. does
not have the kind of finances available to mount splashy new
economic initiatives in Africa.”
Clinton’s trip – potentially her last as America’s top
diplomat – will take her to South Sudan on Friday, where she
will be the most senior U.S. official to visit since the country
declared independence in July 2011.
Continued…
