Trump: I encouraged African leaders to buy American weapons.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday local time: “We encouraged the African countries that met with me today to invest in their defense sector and to buy American military equipment.”
Trump, stating that he plans to travel to Africa in the future, added: “We are changing the focus of our policies on Africa from aid to trade.”
The US President clarified: “I would like to travel to Africa. We will certainly see what the plan is, but at some point, I would like to do it.”
Trump continued: “We are focusing on using strategies related to trade cooperation with African countries, not on providing aid, as has been common in the past.”
In a meeting with the heads of African countries, he claimed that Washington is trying to create peace within Sudan and Libya, and a number of African countries.
The US President clarified: “We will also facilitate peace in places like Sudan, where they have a lot of problems, Libya and other places. There is a lot of anger on your continent.”
The United States is fundamentally rethinking its military approach to Africa, shifting from its traditional focus on promoting good governance and addressing the root causes of insurgencies to urging countries in the region to assume greater responsibility for their security challenges.