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For the past few months, human rights activists have been sounding alarms about the Russian private military company Wagner Group using convicts to fight war in Ukraine. Now, the White House confirms “extraordinarily high” casualties among some 40,000 convicts fighting for the mercenary group in Donbas. Igor Tsikhanenka has more.
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptUS Treasury Yellen - Africa Wrap (TV/R)
HEADLINE: US Treasury Secretary Focuses on Agriculture During Visit to Zambia
TEASER: Janet Yellen also assures government officials that restructuring the country's debt was a US priority
PUBLISHED AT: 1/24/23 at 850p
BYLINE: Mariama Diallo
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER:
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, DJones
VIDEO SOURCES: VOA, Reuters, AFP, AP
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 3:18
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is in Zambia, the second stop in a three-country swing, where she assured the country’s president and its finance minister that the timely restructuring of Zambia’s debt is a top priority. She spent most of Tuesday highlighting long-term measures to mitigate the sort of threats to food security exposed by Russia’s war in Ukraine. VOA’s Mariama Diallo reports.]]
((NARRATOR))
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen spent most her visit to Zambia Tuesday talking about the agricultural investment potential of African nations, especially as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has affected hunger and the cost of food worldwide.
In a village in Chongwe, an hour from the capital, Lusaka, Yellen emphasized not only tackling acute food needs but also scaling up investment in food system resilience for the long term.
Speaking to a group of mostly female farmers participating in the US-backed Green Climate Fund for small-scale agriculture operations, the Treasury secretary also voiced support of including Africa more in global food fertilizer markets and supply chains.
((NARRATOR))
On Monday she met with Zambia’s president and its finance minister, whom she assured that restructuring of the country's debt was a priority for the United States.
Zambia was the first African country to default on its foreign debt — estimated at about $17 billion dollars — during the COVID pandemic.
The country has asked for help through the Group of 20's so-called Common Framework, but implementation has been slow, with the U.S. accusing China of slowing down the process. But Yellen said she was encouraged after meeting last week with the Chinese vice premier in Switzerland.
((Janet Yellen, US Treasury Secretary))
“Let me say I know that the Chinese have been a barrier to concluding the negotiations. // I specifically raised the issue of Zambia and asked for their cooperation in trying to reach a speedy resolution.”
((NARRATOR))
China's foreign minister, who recently visited five African countries, has rejected claims that China has not been committed to helping Africa ease its debt burden, insisting his country is an active participant in the G-20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative.
((NARRATOR))
Before Zambia, Yellen visited Senegal, where she met with Senegalese President Macky Sall, his finance minister and other officials.
She also spent time at a business incubator with women entrepreneurs.
((NARRATOR))
Yellen will wrap up her tour with a visit on Wednesday to South Africa, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had talks on Monday with his South African counterpart, Naledi Pandor.
Russia is pushing to strengthen ties with an historical ally amid the war in Ukraine.
South Africa was among several African nations in the U.N. General Assembly that abstained from a vote calling for Russia to be suspended from the Human Rights Council.
((For radio: Cameron Hudson is with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.))
((Cameron Hudson, Center for Strategic & International Studies)) ((Skype))
“It was a wake-up call to the U.S. that the vote that took place in April of last year, where the United States tried to rally the world to condemn the Russian invasion and it really fell short, specifically on the African continent. I think it was a reminder that if you [want to] be the leader of the free world, you have to try to lead that world, and if people aren’t willing to follow the call for democracy and liberty, then you have real worries on your hands.”
((NARRATOR))
Next on the list of U.S. Cabinet members to visit Africa is U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who plans to travel to Ghana, Mozambique and Kenya starting Wednesday.
((MARIAMA DIALLO, VOA NEWS))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Washington D.C.
Embargo DateJanuary 24, 2023 21:38 EST
Byline((MARIAMA DIALLO, VOA NEWS))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
