Washington has said a visit by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau to Africa aims to strengthen bilateral ties, but the timing raises questions about the US’s interests in the Red Sea corridor.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau is on a diplomatic tour of Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti from January 24 to February 1.

According to the Department of State, Landau’s visit aims to promote President Donald Trump’s priorities of “rebalancing trade, ensuring a positive business environment, and promoting security and peace.”

Landau has described the trip, his first to the region, as “one of the great privileges” of his job, which allows him to exchange ideas with world leaders.

Out of the four countries Landau is touring, three are part of the US-led multinational naval force deployed in the Red Sea to defend against attacks from Houthis.

The trip also comes on the back of a statement by Ambassador Tammy Bruce, deputy representative of the US to the United Nations, referring to the Houthis as a “terrorist organization who, with the support of the Iranian regime, pose a continuing threat to regional stability and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways.”

Some analysts believe this trip to the Red Sea region could be part of America’s push for dominance in the geopolitical competition for global influence.

“The visit signals how the US views East Africa and the Red Sea as a single interconnected strategic theater,” Charles Amo-Agyemang, a senior lecturer of politics and international relations at the University of Ghana, told DW. “The choice of these countries was not accidental. It was deliberate, strategic and it was conscious.”
Source: DW