Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Johnnie Carson retires

Assistant Secy.,Johnnie Carson

The head of the U.S State Department’s Africa Bureau, Johnnie Carson, formally retired on March 29 ending a career that spans 44 years.

Lately, Carson had been the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, having been appointed to this position by President Barack Obama in 2009.

Carson has been the US point-man in Africa during a period which included the rollback of al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab’s control over a large swathe of Somalia by the African Union, the independence of South Sudan and the economic advances and greater democratic stability in several African countries.

Carson, who turns 70 next week, had sought consistently to advance US interests and Obama administration policy in Africa. He was an ardent optimist regarding Africa’s potential for achieving prosperity and democracy.

His departure will no doubt be celebrated by the incoming Kenyatta administration in Kenya, where he stated that Kenya would experience unspecified “consequences” in its relations with the US if certain unnamed candidates were elected to lead the country – in clear reference to president-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto.

The Kenyans reacted angrily and asked the United States through Mr. Carson to refrain from interfering with the country’s sovereignty.