Head of US Africa bureau urges staff to highlight US 'generosity' despite aid cuts
Source: The Guardian
Head of US Africa bureau urges staff to highlight US ‘generosity’ despite aid cuts
Email sent to diplomats by state department office’s new boss is labelled ‘racist’ after dismissing Africa as a priority
Aisha Down
Tue 20 Jan 2026 17.11 GMT
Last modified on Tue 20 Jan 2026 18.02 GMT
Head of US Africa bureau urges staff to highlight US ‘generosity’ despite aid cuts
Email sent to diplomats by state department office’s new boss is labelled ‘racist’ after dismissing Africa as a priority
Aisha Down
Tue 20 Jan 2026 17.11 GMT
Last modified on Tue 20 Jan 2026 18.02 GMT
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US diplomats have been encouraged to “unabashedly and aggressively” remind African governments about the “generosity” of the American people, according to a leaked email sent to staff in the US state department’s Bureau of African Affairs this January and obtained by the Guardian.
“It’s not gauche to remind these countries of the American people’s generosity in containing HIV/Aids or alleviating famine,” says the email.
“Rather, it’s essential to counter the false narrative that the United States isn’t in many cases the largest donor and to ensure that we can more effectively leverage that assistance to advance our interests.”
The email was sent by Nick Checker, who became the leader of the bureau earlier this month. Checker previously spent more than a decade with the CIA as a conflict analyst; previous appointees to the role have generally been career diplomats.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/20/us-diplomats-urged-to-remind-african-leaders-of-us-generosity-despite-usaid-closing