BY JIBRIL TURE

With Steve Ogah

Washington, DC—Ronald Reagan Building

A group of roughly 150 people gathered here this Monday morning in front of the Ronald Reagan Building that houses the headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, to protest over the ongoing actions by the Trump administration to dismantle the government body, in-keeping with Donald Trump’s plans to upend the federal bureaucracy.

Most of the protesters are employees of USAID, the independent agency of the U.S. government that primarily administers civilian foreign aid and development to the world. Among the signs carried by the protesters, one reads: “Democracy died in complacency.”

The protesters are joined by lawmakers of the Democratic party who vehemently oppose the termination of an agency with a budget of over $50 billion which accounts for more than half of all U.S. foreign assistance.

USAID came to life following the passage on September 4, 1961, of the Foreign Assistance Act which mandated the creation of an agency to administer economic aid. The agency was established by President John F. Kennedy to unite all then-existing foreign assistance entities under one umbrella.

The plans to dismantle USAID is led by Elon Musk, the billionaire who generously funded Trump’s campaign, whom the new president has put in charge of his newly created entity titled Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, which is simply an element of the Trump’s White House, not a federal department. “We don’t have a fourth branch of government called Elon Musk,” Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, told the gathering here today.

For his part, Musk is moving forward with his mission to terminate an agency he has called a criminal organization.

Saturday, after their attempt to stop DOGE agents from accessing the agency system, USAID administrator John Voorhees and his deputy were put on leave.  That followed 60 USAID members that were put on leave last week.

The latest indication is that the new administration plans to absorb USAID into the U.S. State Department. Talking to reporters during a visit to El Salvador, Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday told reporters that he is now the acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, adding that many of the programs of the agency now in crisis will continue.

“Any effort to merge or fold U.S.A.I.D. into the Department of State should be, and by law must be, previewed, discussed and approved by Congress,” Democratic members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee wrote in a letter on Sunday to the secretary.

Arguably, leaders of African countries which are heavily dependent on U.S. aid, are not surprised by the developing crisis at USAID. The mayhem reflects the skepticism and fear most of them expressed in November when Donald Trump won a clear mandate to lead the United States (in a sense the whole free world), for another four years.

In the following story, The African reporter Steve Ogah shares some of the concerns from a number of African countries upon Trump’s reelection.

When President Donald Trump took his oath of office on January 20, most Africans took strategic interests, remembering his disparaging comments about the continent during his first term at the White House. The President’s return makes him a person of deliberate concern across several African countries. Enter how Africa reacted to the President’s second coming.

Daily Post (Nigeria), a foremost online news medium had this to say: “Trump’s inaugural speech worst ever-Ex-Minister, Akinyemi.” Quoting Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Nigeria’s former Minister of External Affairs, the news outlet wrote: “Trump spoke as a warrior and not as a world leader.” Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, former Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, the country’s foremost diplomacy think-tank, did not find Trump’s statements diplomatic and Statesmanlike. Read more

In Ethiopia, The Reporter wrote: “Africa’s exclusion from the Trump Inauguration ceremony: an indication of ill will?” The paper’s article said: “Given that Trump’s first term in office is not remembered for close diplomatic ties with Africa, the snub may not be all that surprising. It could instead be indicative of Trump’s unchanged attitude towards African leaders.” Read more.

Angola’s Ver Angola published the views of the President of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola. Adalberto Costa Junior, leader of UNITA, stated that Trump’s speech was “complicated. It must have left a lot of people with a stomach ache.” The paper added that the head of Angola’s largest opposition group remains “reticent about the new US administration.” Read more.

Burkina Faso’s L’Obserateur Paalga observed that: “Donald Trump is back in the White House and the entire planet is frozen with questions and worries.” The paper’s article added: “nothing indicates a possible change in his relationship with the black continent.” Read more.

Daily Maverick’s report is an echo of a previous report where the paper wrote: “Donald Trump’s shocking reelection will have severe consequences for the global political order.” Read more.

Ghanaian Times (Ghana) participated in the continent’s welcome of Trump with “Donald Trump Sworn in as President,” the article describing Trump as “a President who has promised to disrupt Washington even more so than he did during his first term,” adding that he “completed a political resurrection unlike anything the country has seen.”  Read more.

In Mali, L’Essor wrote that, “Donald Trump is back to the White House with a promise to give his country its golden age.” Read more. 

“Anxiety as US Inaugurates Trump President For Second Term Today,” An article in Nigeria’s Leadership Newspaper said, adding, “As Trump returns to the White House, the world is waiting to see if he will be a more disciplined and effective version of himself, different from the chaotic character he appeared to be in his first term.” Innocent Odoh’s article took the view that, “Since he emerged victorious, the global community has been anxious and uncertain about the direction Trump will take the US on issues such as immigration.” Read more.

The paper previously published, “Why Trump Won Against Impossible Odds,” noting that: “Astoundingly, despite his repeated use of abhorrent, racist and misogynistic rhetoric, president-elect Trump also substantially enlarged his previous vote share among women, African-Americans, Latinos and other minorities.” Read more.

Morocco World News: “President Trump: A Golden Era-In Hyperdrive.” Read more.

Fratmat (Ivory Coast): The paper noted that to “mark his return to the White House, the former President intends to project an image of strength and triumph.” Read more.

In its inauguration day article, Nigeria’s Punch Newspaper quoted President Trump for the story’s headline, emphasizing Trump’s plans to engage in mass deportation: “‘we will return million, halt illegal entries,’ Trump threatens Mass deportation,” the paper published. The article said: “The 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump, has vowed to send ‘millions and millions of criminal aliens’ back to their home countries.” Read more.

Mail & Guardian (South Africa) “Will South Africa be a US adversary or uncertain ally?” Lyse Comins asked, adding, “The Trump administration may revise its stance on SA, given it rebukes US allies and embraces its rivals.” Read more.

In an earlier article, the paper highlighted President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa’s embrace of Trump’s return to the White House, while eyeing closer SA-US relations. Read more.

Uganda’s Nile Post highlighted the views of analysts who are of the opinion that “Ugandan Sanctions likely to remain despite Trump’s return.” Read more.

Daily News Egypt stressed the point that “Trump declared the beginning of a ‘golden age’ for America, pledging to restore the nation’s prosperity and global respect.” Read more.

Rwanda’s leading daily, The New Times, noted that “Trump pledges to save America from ‘decline’.” Read more. 

L’Union (Gabon) noted that Trump is “barely back in the White House.” The paper wrote: “Trump on the verge of launching trade wars.” Read more. 

The Namibian (Namibia) offered this view on Trump: “Trump looks to remake America with sweeping second act.” The article added that Donald Trump “will be hoping to usher in a new era for his country.” Read more.