US First Lady Jill Biden has called on rich countries to give more to countries in the Horn of Africa, which are facing the worst drought in 40 years. She did so on Sunday during a visit to Kenya.
Five consecutive failed rainy seasons have killed millions of animals and destroyed crops, leaving 22 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia at risk of starvation.
The US has taken on much of the financial aid the region has received. “We can’t be alone. We need other countries to join this effort to help people in the region,” Biden said at an aid distribution site in Kajiado, a town 50 miles from the capital Nairobi.
“You know that unfortunately there is a war in Ukraine. There are also earthquakes in Turkey. I want to say that there are many conflicting interests, but people are starving here,” said the first lady.
Broad partnership
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden’s wife already visited Namibia. There, she talked to parents struggling to feed their children and communities without access to water. Namibia and Kenya are the two stops on Jill Biden’s journey to strengthen ties with the continent to which the Biden administration devoted a summit in December.
At that summit, President Biden advocated a broad partnership with Africa as the United States seeks to boost its presence on the continent in the face of Chinese investment. Several multi-billion dollar projects were announced for the coming years.
It is Jill Biden’s first visit to Africa as US first lady.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss a thing of the stars.