Why Joe Biden’s one African trip will be to Angola – and what it could mean

US President Joe Biden. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)

US President Joe Biden has chosen Angola as the one African country he will visit while in office, the first such visit since Barack Obama’s administration.Angola owes China a lot of money, but its president skipped China’s recent meeting with African countries.The US seeks to export minerals via Angola, while China hopes to establish a naval base there.

When Beijing hosted the Forum on China–Africa
Cooperation (FOCAC) earlier this month, nearly every African country sent its
head of state.

Angola – China’s biggest debtor in Africa – was among the
exceptions. President Joao Lourenco went to Dubai and Malaga in Spain
instead, sending Foreign Affairs Minister Tete António in what was considered a
snub.

Now America’s President Joe Biden plans to honour his pledge
to visit the African continent, right at the end of his time in office and
after predecessor Donald Trump never got around to it, by going to Angola.

That choice suggests just how serious the US’s renewed
ambitions in Angola are, and how it rates Laurenco’s move away from Russia
despite a strong bond still in existence with Moscow. 

“When Lourenco assumed office, he aimed to strengthen
ties with the US, employing the consultancy firm Squire Patton Boggs, for which Angola pays $3 million
[about R60 million] annually to assist in promoting the country’s image in the
US. 

“Angola, which had been closely aligned with Russia,
has shifted towards the US since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, despite
Russia being its largest arms supplier and a key partner in
training Angolan generals,” said Jose Gama a researcher and political
analyst on Angolan affairs.

The US-China rivalry is also playing out in Angola’s mobile
phone sector. 

American-owned Africell Mobile Company arrived in Angola in
2022; it also has operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), The
Gambia, and Sierra Leone.

But its situation in Angola is tricky because it competes
directly with Unitel which has a partnership with Huawei.

The US imposed sanctions on Huawei in May 2019 due to the
company’s purported ties to the Chinese state and the security risk that
implies.  

China has also been actively seeking to establish a naval base in Angola on the Atlantic coast, which
would threaten US national security.

China has been successful in establishing such a base in
Equatorial Guinea.

For Marisa Lourenço, a political and economic risk analyst,
the planned Biden visit will show how Angola has of late become one of the US’s
strongest allies on the continent at a time when its influence in other regions
has been undermined by China and Russia.

The biggest price, for the US, she said was the critical
minerals sought by everyone.

She said:

At the centre of this is the Lobito Corridor development project, which aims to direct the export of critical minerals like copper, cobalt and coltan from the DRC through Angola’s Lobito port via rail.

“At present, goods are primarily moved by road to Richard’s
Bay in South Africa and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.”

In recent times, Angola has risen to be a major player in
the Great Lakes region seeking peace and stability, particularly between the
DRC and Rwanda.

For the US, Angola is what it needs to nudge the DRC away
from China.

“China has had a tight trip on the DRC mining sector
since the late 2000s, but President Felix Tshisekedi has been working to
dislodge that, by pitting the US and China against each other in the race to
secure their respective supplies of critical minerals. 

Marisa said:

To a large degree, Tshisekedi has been influenced by Lourenço, as they both work together to seek greater financing from the US and better deals than those given by China over the last two decades.

According to Human Rights Watch, security forces in Angola have been
linked to grave violations of human rights. 

For instance, over a dozen extrajudicial murders and other
illegal killings, the use of excessive force against peaceful protestors, and
arbitrary detentions have been reported.

The US could encourage Angola to improve on its record.

“A visit from Biden to Angola would help enhance the
country’s international reputation and attract more investment by showing that
Angola is a stable and secure nation. 

“However, this contrasts with Biden’s early statements
that his administration would fight autocracy globally and ensure that
democracy prevails. Angola faces ongoing issues such as the imprisonment of
activists, fabricated trials, and frequent human rights violations. 

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“Biden could use this visit to encourage Angola to move
away from autocratic tendencies and begin respecting universal principles, such
as human rights, championed by the US,” Gama said.

According to the US government statistics, US exports to
Angola in 2023 were R11.3 trillion, down 8.8% from 2022. Imports from Angola totalled
R22.8 billion last year, down 26.8% from 2022.

The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.

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