African Ambassadors to Convene in Wake of Trumps Shithole Outburst

Foreign Policy
January 12, 2018

“I found the comments insulting, irresponsible, and extremely disappointing,” said Arikana Chihombori-Quao, the ambassador of the African Union in Washington, during an interview with FP.
“This just cements the feeling that we don’t matter. That we are consistently and continually taken for granted,” she said. “At what point are we Africans going to rise up and say enough is enough?”

Chihombori-Quao and several other African diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity said they were convening a meeting of African ambassadors in Washington next week to discuss a response to the president’s reported remarks. In New York, AU ambassadors convened their own emergency session late Friday afternoon to sort out a response to the diplomatic affront.

African diplomats and experts warn the comments could undercut U.S. diplomacy in Africa just as it starts to take shape under the Trump administration and as China boosts its investments and influence on the continent. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is also preparing to make his first trip to Africa as early as next month, with tentative plans to visit Angola and Kenya, according to one State Department official, though the trip has yet to be confirmed.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/01/12/african-ambassadors-to-meet-in-wake-of-trumps-shithole-outburst-african-union-immigration-oval-office-controversy-state-department-diplomacy/