AFP USA

Russia pummelled Ukraine Wednesday with its largest missile and drone attack in more than three years of war, hours after US President Donald Trump launched an expletive-filled attack on Russian leader Vladimir Putin.AFP journalists in Kyiv heard explosions ringing out and drones buzzing over the capital during the barrage after air raid sirens sounded.The air force said Russia fired 728 drones and 13 missiles, specifying that its air defence systems intercepted 711 drones and destroyed seven missiles.The strike, which officials said killed one civilian in the Khmelnytsky region, beat a previous Russian record of 550 drones and missiles fired at Ukraine on one day last week.”This is a telling attack — and it comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire, and yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media.Zelensky, who met Pope Leo XIV and US special envoy Keith Kellogg on a visit to Rome, called for Ukraine’s allies to step up sanctions on Russia, particularly on its key energy sector.Following his meeting with Kellogg, the Ukrainian leader urged US lawmakers to pass a bill targeting Russia with tougher sanctions.- Russia advances-Kyiv has repeatedly accused China of supplying parts and technologies central to the Russian drone and missile programme, and urged the West to step up secondary penalties.Kyiv’s security services announced they had detained two Chinese nationals accused of attempting to smuggle missile technology out of the country.The air force and regional authorities said Wednesday’s attack had primarily targeted Lutsk, a town in western Ukraine.The Russian defence ministry said its “long-range” and “precision” strike had targeted military airfield infrastructure, claiming that “all designated targets were destroyed”. There was no response to that claim in Kyiv.Russia’s latest record barrage points to a trend of escalating attacks, that have piled pressure on Ukraine’s thinly stretched air defence capabilities and exhausted civilian population.”We are adapting to this rhythm of life. Of course, it’s difficult, but what can you do?” Sergiy Skrypka, a student, told AFP in Kyiv.”It’s not easy, but I think it’s hard for everyone now. We’re dealing with it,” the 22-year-old added.A Ukraine air force representative said that new Ukrainian drones had played an important role in thwarting the Russian attack. Another official said that most of the Russian drones launched were decoys.Two rounds of direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations since Trump returned to the White House have resulted in an increase in prisoner exchanges but no progress on securing a ceasefire, proposed by the United States and Ukraine.- Civilians burnt alive -The Kremlin has since said that it sees no diplomatic path out of the conflict, launched by Moscow in February 2022, and vowed to pursue its war aims — effectively seeking to conquer Ukraine and remove its political leadership.The Kremlin said on Wednesday that it was unfazed by Trump’s sweary comments about President Vladimir Putin. Trump said Tuesday that the Russian leader was spouting “bullshit”. He has also announced that the United States will send more weapons to Ukraine.”Let’s just say that Trump in general has quite a harsh rhetorical style in terms of the phrases he uses,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.Ukraine has also sought to increase its attacks, with Russia’s defence ministry saying on Wednesday that its air defence had downed 86 unmanned aerial vehicles, mainly over western regions.The exchanges came with Russian forces steadily gaining ground at key sectors of the front line in eastern Ukraine.Russia announced the capture of another village, Tolstoy, on Wednesday in the eastern Donetsk region, which the Kremlin has claimed as part of Russia since 2022, despite not fully controlling it.Ukrainian prosecutors in the region said Russian drone and bombing attacks in two towns in Donetsk killed eight civilians on Wednesday.Officials published images showing the remains of two people burnt to death in their car, which officials said was hit by a Russian drone.A one-year-old boy was killed in another Russian attack on the village of Pravdyne in the southern Kherson region, local officials announced.burs/sbk/tw

President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused former FBI director James Comey and ex-CIA chief John Brennan, two prominent critics under criminal investigation, of being “crooked” and said they may have to “pay a price.”Asked on Wednesday about the FBI’s opening of a probe into Comey and Brennan, Trump said he knows “nothing about it other than what I read today.””But I will tell you I think they’re very dishonest people,” the president told reporters at the White House. “I think they’re crooked as hell and maybe they have to pay a price for that.”Fox News Digital first reported the probe into Comey and Brennan, saying it involved “potential wrongdoing” related to the investigation into claims of Russian interference in the 2016 election won by Trump, and alleged false statements made to Congress.CIA director John Ratcliffe, a Trump appointee, had referred “evidence of wrongdoing by Brennan” to FBI director Kash Patel, another Trump appointee, for potential prosecution, Fox News Digital said, citing Justice Department sources.A Justice Department spokeswoman said the agency does “not comment on ongoing investigations.”Comey and Brennan were named to their respective positions as head of the FBI and CIA by Democratic president Barack Obama, and they have a contentious history with Trump dating back to his first term in the White House.Trump fired Comey in 2017 as the FBI chief was leading a probe into whether any members of the Trump campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 presidential vote between Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.That investigation, which Trump has denounced for years as the “Russia hoax,” was taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller, who found there had been interference by Russia in the 2016 election in favor of Trump.But Mueller said the probe “did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”Trump revoked Brennan’s security clearance in 2018, accusing the former CIA chief of making “unfounded and outrageous allegations” about his administration.Since taking office in January, Trump has taken a number of punitive measures against his perceived enemies, stripping former officials of their security clearances and protective details, targeting law firms involved in past cases against him and pulling federal funding from universities.

US President Donald Trump released a fresh set of letters to trading partners Wednesday, setting out tariff rates for seven more countries as Washington pushes to bring about a flurry of trade deals.The letters, addressed to leaders of the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Algeria, Libya, Iraq and Moldova, spelled out duties ranging from 20 percent to 30 percent that would take effect on August 1.Similar to Trump’s first batch of documents published Monday, the levels were not too far from those originally threatened in April, although some partners received notably lower rates this time.Sri Lanka’s updated tariff was 30 percent, down from 44 percent announced in April, while the figure for Iraq was 30 percent, down from 39 percent.The Philippines, however, saw a 20 percent levy, up from 17 percent announced previously.While the president in April imposed a 10 percent levy on almost all trading partners, he unveiled — and then withheld — higher rates for dozens of economies.The deadline for those steeper levels to take effect was meant to be Wednesday, before Trump postponed it further to August 1.Instead, countries who face the threats of elevated duties began receiving letters spelling out US tariff rates on their products.Trump said Wednesday that he decided on the levies based on “common sense” and trade deficits.He added at an event that he would release more letters later in the day — including for Brazil, which does not currently face a tariff hike come August.Trump’s latest messages were near-identical to those published earlier in the week, and justified his tariffs as a response to trade ties that he says are “far from Reciprocal.”They urged countries to manufacture products in the United States to avoid duties, while threatening further escalation if leaders retaliated.For now, over 20 countries have received Trump’s letters including key US allies Japan and South Korea, as well as Indonesia, Bangladesh and Thailand.- EU deal in ‘coming days’? -Analysts have noted that Asian countries have been a key target so far.But all eyes are on the state of negotiations with major partners who have yet to receive such letters, including the European Union.For now, the Trump administration is under pressure to unveil more trade pacts. So far, Washington has only reached agreements with Britain and Vietnam, alongside a deal to temporarily lower tit-for-tat levies with China.Trump on Tuesday said that his government was “probably two days off” from sending the EU a letter with an updated tariff rate for the bloc.”They’re very tough, but now they’re being very nice to us,” he added at a cabinet meeting.An EU spokesman said Wednesday that the bloc wants to strike a deal with the United States “in the coming days,” and has shown readiness to reach an agreement in principle.EU diplomats say the European Commission, in charge of trade policy for the 27-country bloc, could continue talks until August 1.The EU expects Trump to keep a 10 percent baseline tariff on its goods, with exemptions for critical sectors such as airplanes, spirits and cosmetics, diplomats told AFP this week.Legal challenges to Trump’s sweeping tariffs are continuing to work their way through the US court system.Apart from tariffs targeting goods from different countries, Trump has also rolled out sector-specific duties on steel, aluminum and autos since returning to the White House in January.On Tuesday, Trump said levies were incoming on copper and pharmaceuticals. The planned rate for copper is 50 percent, he added, while pharmaceutical products face a levy as high as 200 percent — but manufacturers would be given time to relocate operations.

Linda Yaccarino resigned Wednesday as CEO of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, after two years at the helm of the Elon Musk-owned company.In a statement posted on the platform, she said she had decided to step down following what she described as “two incredible years” leading the company through a major transformation.No reason was given for her exit, but the resignation came as Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok was under fire for anti-Semitic comments that praised Adolf Hitler and insulted Islam in separate posts on the X platform.In a short reply to her post on X, Musk wrote: “Thank you for your contributions.”Yaccarino — a former NBCUniversal advertising executive — took over as X’s CEO in June 2023, replacing Musk who had been serving in the role since his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October 2022.Her appointment came as Musk sought to focus on product development while bringing in an experienced media manager to restore advertiser confidence.The company has faced significant challenges since Musk’s acquisition, including an exodus of advertisers and concerns over content moderation policies.Critics have cited a rise in violent content, racism, antisemitism and misinformation on X. Yaccarino’s background in advertising was seen as crucial to rebuilding business relationships.In her statement, Yaccarino praised the “historic business turn around” achieved by the X team and suggested the platform was entering “a new chapter” with xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence company.xAI in March acquired X in an all-stock deal that valued the social media platform at $33 billion, making it a subsidiary of Musk’s AI company.”X is truly a digital town square for all voices and the world’s most powerful culture signal,” she wrote, adding that she would be “cheering you all on as you continue to change the world.”Analyst Jasmine Enberg from Emarketer said that being CEO “was always going to be a tough job, and Yaccarino lasted in the role longer than many expected.””Faced with a mercurial owner who never fully stepped away from the helm and continued to use the platform as his personal megaphone, Yaccarino had to try to run the business while also regularly putting out fires,” she told AFP.Yaccarino’s sudden exit “suggests a possible tipping point” in their relationship, even if the reasons are for now unknown.During her tenure, X introduced new features including Community Notes, a crowd-sourced fact-checking system, and announced plans for “X Money,” a financial services feature as part of Musk’s vision to transform the platform into an “Everything App.”It also coincided with Musk’s endorsement and financial backing of Donald Trump, which saw the South African-born multi-billionaire catapulted into the White House as a close advisor to the president, before a recent falling out.

Fears grew Wednesday that the death toll of 110 in the Texas floods could still surge as hopes fade of finding survivors among the many reported still missing several days after the disaster.More than 170 people remain unaccounted for after the flash flooding on the Fourth of July holiday, a tragedy that shocked many Americans.After torrents of river water roared through several Texas counties — some striking in the middle of the night — rescuers still worked to find bodies and any survivors as state Governor Greg Abbott warned that the final toll was not yet known.Officials in Kerr County, the epicenter of the flooding, on Wednesday confirmed 161 people were known to be missing in the county. Twelve others remain unaccounted for elsewhere in the state.”There very likely could be more added to that list,” Abbott said Tuesday, later posting on X: “Right now, our #1 job is to find every single missing person.”Kerr County, part of a Hill Country region in central Texas known as “Flash Flood Alley,” suffered the most damage, with at least 95 fatalities including 36 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha told reporters.Among them are at least 27 girls and counselors at a summer camp on the Guadalupe River when it burst its banks early Friday.Five campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic were still missing as of Wednesday, plus another child not associated with the camp, Leitha said.Elsewhere in the state, there have been at least 15 fatalities, according to Abbott.More than 2,000 rescue personnel, police and experts have descended on the flood zone in what Leitha described as an “all hands on deck” operation.Ben Baker, with the Texas Game Wardens, said search and rescue efforts involving helicopters, drones and dogs were difficult because of the water, mud and debris.”When we’re trying to make these recoveries, these large piles can be very obstructive, and to get in deep into these piles, it’s very hazardous,” Baker said. Kerrville police officer Jonathan Lamb spoke of heroic rescues by authorities and volunteers who evacuated hundreds of people from their homes or vehicles.Officers went “door to door, waking people up” in Kerr County early Friday and in some cases “pulling them out of windows” of flooding homes and trailers, Lamb told reporters.The tragedy, “as horrific as it is, could have been so much worse,” he added.The National Weather Service (NWS) has forecast scattered storms on Wednesday in the Hill Country, including isolated pockets of heavy rain.In the neighboring state of New Mexico, flash flooding left three people dead Tuesday in Ruidoso, the village website said in a statement, adding the Ruidoso River rose to a record-breaking 20 feet (six meters).- Bodies in the mud -In the Texas town of Hunt, an AFP team saw recovery workers combing through piles of debris with helicopters flying overhead.Javier Torres, 24, was digging through mud as he searched for his grandmother, after having located the body of his grandfather. He also discovered the bodies of two children, apparently washed up by the river.President Donald Trump is due to visit Texas on Friday with First Lady Melania Trump.”We brought in a lot of helicopters from all over… They were real pros, and they were responsible for pulling out a lot of people,” Trump said.Meanwhile, questions intensified over whether Trump’s government funding cuts had weakened warning systems, and over the handling of the rescue operation.During sometimes tense news conferences Tuesday and Wednesday, officials skirted questions on the speed of the emergency response.”There’s going to be an after-action” review of what happened, Sheriff Leitha said, adding “those questions need to be answered.”But officials stressed that the focus now was on locating the missing and reuniting families.Shel Winkley, a weather expert at the Climate Central research group, blamed the extent of the disaster on geography and exceptional drought, when dry soil absorbs less rainfall.”This part of Texas, at least in the Kerr County flood specifically, was in an extreme to exceptional drought…. We know that since May, temperatures have been above average,” Winkley told reporters.

The FBI has opened a criminal investigation into its former director James Comey and ex-CIA chief John Brennan, two prominent critics of President Donald Trump, US media reported.Fox News Digital said the probe involved “potential wrongdoing” related to the investigation into claims of Russian interference in the 2016 election won by Trump and alleged false statements made to Congress.CIA director John Ratcliffe, a Trump appointee, had referred “evidence of wrongdoing by Brennan” to FBI director Kash Patel, another Trump appointee, for potential prosecution, Fox News Digital said, citing Justice Department sources.Comey and Brennan were named to their respective positions as head of the FBI and CIA by Democratic president Barack Obama, and they have a contentious history with Trump dating back to his first term in the White House.Trump fired Comey in 2017 as the FBI chief was leading a probe into whether any members of the Trump campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 presidential vote between Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.That investigation was taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller, who found there had been interference by Russia in the 2016 election in favor of Trump.But Mueller said the probe “did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”Trump revoked Brennan’s security clearance in 2018, accusing the former CIA director of making “unfounded and outrageous allegations” about his administration.The Justice Department declined to confirm the opening of a probe into Comey and Brennan. “We do not comment on ongoing investigations,” a spokeswoman said Wednesday.But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, asked about the report in a Fox News Channel interview on Tuesday evening, said she was “glad to hear it.””Both of these disgraceful individuals turned against our constitution and our country,” Leavitt said. “And I’m sure they did, in fact, lie to Congress.”And it’s up to the Department of Justice to investigate that and to prosecute them if they did,” she said.Since taking office in January, Trump has taken a number of punitive measures against his perceived enemies, stripping former officials of their security clearances and protective details, targeting law firms involved in past cases against him and pulling federal funding from universities.

Chile, the world’s biggest copper producer, said Wednesday it was awaiting an “official” follow-up on US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 50 percent tariff on imports of the metal. The South American country is responsible for nearly a quarter of global copper supply, which contributes 10 to 15 percent to its GDP.”The government reacts to these matters with caution, as is appropriate in diplomacy,” President Gabriel Boric told reporters Wednesday. He said he was awaiting “official communication from the United States government regarding the policy” on copper duties, after which “we will be able to respond with the institutional strength that characterizes Chile.”Trump on Tuesday told a cabinet meeting: “I believe the tariff on copper, we’re going to make it 50 percent.” He did not set a deadline but Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the rate will likely take effect by the end of July or on August 1. China is the leading buyer of Chilean copper.  In 2023, it accounted for 56 percent of exports, followed by the United States with 11 percent and Japan with 8.5 percent, according to the Chilean Copper Commission.  State-owned copper giant Codelco, the world’s single biggest producer of the metal used in wiring, motors and renewable energy generation, also noted there had been no formal communication on the US tariffs.  There is no “executive order from the United States,” said Maximo Pacheco, board chairman of Codelco, which produces between eight and 10 percent of the world’s copper.  Trump’s announcement sent the price of copper to a record high Tuesday. 

Russia pummelled Ukraine early on Wednesday with its largest missile and drone attack in more than three years of war, claiming to have targeted an airfield in a region bordering Poland.The strikes came after US President Donald Trump said he would ramp up arms deliveries to Ukraine and accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of spouting “bullshit” on Ukraine.AFP journalists in Kyiv heard explosions ringing out and drones buzzing over the capital during the barrage after air raid sirens sounded.The latest strike, which regional officials said had killed one civilian in the Khmelnytsky region, beat a previous Russian record of firing 550 drones and missiles at Ukraine set last week.The air force announced that Russia attacked with 728 drones and 13 missiles, specifying that its air defence systems intercepted 711 drones and destroyed seven missiles.”This is a telling attack — and it comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire, and yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media.Zelensky, who was visiting Rome and met with Pope Leo XIV, called for Ukraine’s allies to step up sanctions on Russia, particularly on its energy sector — an important revenue stream for the Russian war chest.- Russia advances on front -“Our partners know how to apply pressure in a way that will force Russia to think about ending the war, not launching new strikes,” Zelensky added.Kyiv has repeatedly accused China of supplying parts and technologies central to the Russian drone and missile programme, and urged the West to step up secondary penalties.On Wednesday, Kyiv’s security services announced it had detained two Chinese nationals accused of attempting to smuggle missile technology out of the war-torn country.The air force and regional authorities said that Wednesday’s attack had primarily targeted Lutsk, a town in western Ukraine.The Russian defence ministry said its “long-range” and “precision” strike had targeted military airfield infrastructure claiming that “all designated targets were destroyed”. There was no response to that claim in Kyiv.Russia’s latest record barrage points to a trend of escalating attacks that have piled pressure on Ukraine’s thinly stretched air defence capabilities and exhausted civilian population.”We are adapting to this rhythm of life. Of course, it’s difficult, but what can you do?” Sergiy Skrypka, a student, told AFP in Kyiv.”It’s not easy, but I think it’s hard for everyone now. We’re dealing with it,” the 22-year-old added.A representative of Ukraine’s air force said that new Ukrainian drones had played an important role in thwarting the Russian attack. Another official said that most of the Russian drones launched were decoys.Two rounds of direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations since Trump returned to the White House have resulted in an increase in prisoner exchanges but no progress on securing a ceasefire, proposed by the United States and Ukraine.- Civilians burnt alive -The Kremlin has since said that for now it sees no diplomatic path out of the conflict, launched by Moscow in February 2022, and vowed to pursue its war aims — effectively seeking to conquer Ukraine and remove its political leadership.The Kremlin said on Wednesday that it was unfazed by Trump’s comments about Putin.”Let’s just say that Trump in general has quite a harsh rhetorical style in terms of the phrases he uses,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.Ukraine has also sought to increase its own attacks on Russia, with Moscow’s defence ministry saying on Wednesday that its air defence units had downed 86 unmanned aerial vehicles, mainly over western regions of the country.The exchange of aerial broadsides came with Russian forces slowly but steadily gaining ground at key sectors of the sprawling front line in eastern Ukraine.The Russian defence ministry announced the capture of another village, Tolstoy, on Wednesday in the eastern Donetsk region, which the Kremlin has claimed as part of Russia since 2022, despite not fully controlling it.Ukrainian prosecutors in the region said that Russian drone and bombing attacks in two towns in Donetsk killed eight civilians on Wednesday.Officials published images showing the charred remains of two people who burned to death in their car, which officials said was hit by a Russian drone.A one-year-old boy was killed in a separate Russian attack on the village of Pravdyne in the southern Kherson region, local officials announced.

The US government said Wednesday it subpoenaed Harvard University for records linked to students allegedly involved in a wave of pro-Palestinian student protests that the Trump administration labeled anti-Semitic.Since being sworn in again in January, President Donald Trump has targeted top US universities over claims they are politically biased towards anti-Jewish hate and “woke” politics.Trump has waged a political and economic campaign against Harvard, stripping it of funds and demanding extensive records linked to foreign students, whom it has repeatedly attempted to block the prestigious university from enrolling and hosting.The administration has characterized widespread campus protests and sit-ins in the United States calling for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza as being “anti-Semitic,” and moved to expel foreign students and professors who took part in them.”After many previous requests to hand over relevant information concerning foreign students, DHS will now send subpoenas forcing Harvard to comply,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement.Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that “Harvard, like other universities, has allowed foreign students to abuse their visa privileges and advocate for violence and terrorism on campus.”The subpoena demands that Harvard turn over “relevant records, communications, and other documents relevant to the enforcement of immigration laws since January 1, 2020,” according to the statement.- ‘Retaliatory’ -Harvard said in a statement that “while the government’s subpoenas are unwarranted, the University will continue to cooperate with lawful requests and obligations,” adding that the measure was “retaliatory.”Also on Wednesday, Washington told the body responsible for accrediting Harvard as a university that its accreditation should be revoked after finding last week that it violated federal civil rights laws by failing to protect Jewish students.  Harvard was among a host of US universities swept by the wave of student protests against the war in Gaza.Trump has made the question of student protest, particularly by foreign scholars, a flashpoint political issue.A proclamation issued by the White House last month sought to bar most new international students at Harvard from entering the country, and said existing foreign enrollees risked having their visas terminated.Harvard challenged the move in court and a judge blocked the administration from enforcing the policy.International students at Harvard, who accounted for 27 percent of total enrollment in the 2024-2025 academic year, are a major source of income for the Ivy League institution.The government already cut around $3.2 billion of federal grants and contracts benefiting Harvard and pledged to exclude the Cambridge, Massachusetts, institution from any future federal funding.Harvard has been at the forefront of Trump’s campaign against top universities after it defied his calls to submit to oversight of its curriculum, staffing, student recruitment and “viewpoint diversity.” Unlike Harvard, several top institutions — including New York’s Columbia University — have already bowed to far-reaching demands from the Trump administration.

US President Donald Trump will host five leaders from West Africa Wednesday for a White House summit aimed at fostering trade to counter the growing regional influence of Russia and China.The White House is seeking to strengthen economic ties with the mineral-rich region as it curbs foreign aid to Africa, where countries have been hit by a 10 percent global import tariff announced by Trump.Talks with the presidents of Senegal, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Gabon are expected to focus on commercial opportunities and security.”This summit marks a pivot point and test for how the Trump administration’s foreign policy will fare when it comes to US-Africa engagement,” Landry Signe, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, wrote in a commentary on the gathering.”Whether the United States can translate its new doctrine into durable partnerships will depend on its ability to outcompete China and Russia with capital, presence, and long-term commitment.” The talks — scheduled during a lunch in the State Dining Room — come with Washington seeking to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals.All five of the countries invited enjoy rich natural resources, including manganese — a key mineral in the production of stainless steel and batteries — iron ore, gold, diamonds, lithium and cobalt.But overshadowing the talks will be radical steps by Trump and his officials to recalibrate US relations with African nations.Earlier this month, the administration shuttered the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and said it was moving away from a “charity based-model” to focus instead on trade-based partnerships.West Africa is expected to be among the regions hardest hit by the aid cuts, which are likely to lead to more than 14 million additional deaths globally by 2030, according to a study published in the Lancet medical journal. – Drug trafficking and immigration -US financial help played a crucial role in rebuilding Liberia after its civil wars, and it was still receiving an annual $160 million — about three percent of its GDP — as recently as last year.Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai accepted the invitation with an eye on trade and investment rather than being “solely (an) aid recipient,” his press secretary Kula Fofana told AFP.US arch-rival China has made substantial investments in several of the nations attending, with Gabon providing 22 percent of the manganese it uses in batteries.Russia has supported the nascent Alliance of Sahel States, which shares borders with several of the countries at Wednesday’s lunch.Security is expected to loom large, with international drug trafficking and immigration top concerns for Washington.West Africa’s Sahel countries have been dogged with threats from terrorist groups and political instability brought about through a series of coups. Entries from the region make up a significant portion of the Black immigrant population in the United States, which rose by almost a quarter between 2012 and 2022, reaching 4.3 million individuals.Guinea-Bissau — a transit zone for cocaine shipments from Latin America to Europe and beyond — has struggled to contain drug trafficking.”Economically, this is a great opportunity opening for us,” said the country’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo.A potential US travel ban impacting Gabon, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal was reported in June, as part of a larger list of 36 countries facing scrutiny by the Trump administration.