The visiting officials represented Nigeria’s north and middle belt, which face numerous security, development, and socioeconomic challenges. The leaders shared their concerns about the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency that has indiscriminately killed hundreds of innocent Nigerians this year. She and the governors agreed on the need for comprehensive approaches to counterinsurgency that couple security measures with deepened investment to promote opportunity and development across the country. Ambassador Rice drew special attention to the importance of Nigeria’s 2015 elections; the role that governors can play in countering corruption; and how the United States remains committed to partnering with Nigeria to address shared challenges.

The governors were visiting Washington to participate in a U.S. Institute of Peace-hosted forum.

The new Strategy establishes three strategic priorities: strengthening domestic and global enforcement; reducing demand for illegally traded wildlife at home and abroad; and strengthening partnerships with international partners, local communities, NGOs, private industry, and others to combat illegal wildlife poaching and trade.

Given escalating threats to African elephants, we have also decided to implement a ban on commercial elephant ivory trade to ensure that U.S. markets do not contribute to the decline of this iconic species. The ban will impose new restrictions on the import, export, and commercial sale of elephant ivory within the United States, with some limited exceptions. Taken together, these actions will help ensure that the United States is not contributing to poaching of elephants and illegal trade in ivory.

At this week’s London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, we hope other countries will join us in taking ambitious action to combat wildlife trafficking. In coming months, we will continue to take further steps to implement the Strategy. The White House joins the State Department, Department of Justice, and Department of the Interior as co-chairs of the Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking, as well as over a dozen federal agencies, to demonstrate our commitment to implement the Strategy. We look forward to working with the Presidential Task Force and the Wildlife Trafficking Advisory Council to implement this strategy and collaborate with NGOs, private sector partners, and the public to ensure the Strategy’s success.

See a fact sheet on the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking here

Listen to the message below, or download as an mp3.

Hello.  This is Susan Rice, National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama.  Today, I want to speak directly to you—the people of South Sudan. 

For the better part of 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside you as you sought your independence and built a new nation.  When the war was at its height, I visited with people across your country—in Marial Bai and Rumbek and Lui.  You told me about how the conflict was affecting your lives and your families.  And, when I was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, I was honored to share your stories with the world and to support your struggle for independence.

Then, two years ago, on July 9^th, 2011, I was so proud to speak to you on behalf of President Obama and the American people when finally you celebrated your hard-won independence.  I remember so clearly the overwhelming joy and the spirit of unity that day—how you came together as one people to begin building a new nation, founded on your shared democratic values.   

But the violence we’re seeing now is a grave threat to your young nation.  Continued fighting—and the specter of ethnic violence—could tear apart the nation you so painstakingly knit together.  We know all too well what horrors can occur when irresponsible provocateurs pit tribe against tribe and brother against brother. 

We’ve seen the devastation in Bosnia, Rwanda and so close to home in Darfur.  As a longstanding friend of the people of South Sudan, I urge everyone to step back from conflict and instead address your differences through peaceful dialogue.   

In recent years, you’ve overcome incredible odds and shown the world that you can break the cycle of violence; that through careful and constant work, you can give birth to a new nation that respects the rights of all its peoples.  That’s what you, the South Sudanese people, died for and then so peacefully voted for:  an independent, peaceful and unified nation with a better future.  And that’s the promise that young people and religious leaders and community elders across South Sudan are calling for their leaders to live up to now. 

The United States joins these calls for peace.  We urge leaders on all sides to publicly renounce violence, end the fighting, and commit to peaceful dialogue.  Ethnic violence must cease immediately.  Those who have committed acts of violence against civilians must be held accountable.  And those who seek to achieve their goals at the barrel of a gun must understand that international legitimacy and support cannot be gained through conflict. 

For all those who choose the path of peace and democracy, know that the United States will continue to stand with you, as we have at every step of your journey.  But, I must also be clear:  if a different choice is made, if individuals or groups seek to take or hold power through force, mass violence, or intimidation, the United States will have no choice but to withdraw our traditional, robust support.  Killing will only lead to deprivation and isolation for the people of South Sudan.    

I know how much you have already endured and how far you have come, but please remember: democracy is always hard work.  Reconciliation always takes time.  You have to keep working at it each and every day through dialogue and compromise.  And the choices you make today will determine the future of your country.  You can choose whether your children will live in a nation of peace and growing prosperity or one scarred by resumed conflict.  As someone who has always stood with you to imagine a better future for you and your families, I ask each of you to make the choice for peace—make the choice for a unified and cohesive South Sudan.  Make this choice for yourselves and your children.  Thank you.

In an audio message taped in Dakar, Senegal, today, President Obama sent a clear and important message to the people of the Central African Republic: that they should reject the violence currently threatening their country, and move together toward a future of security, dignity, and peace.

Transcript:

Mbi bala ala kouè.  This is President Barack Obama, and today I want to speak directly to you—the people of the Central African Republic.

I know that in your lives you have faced great hardship.  But I also know that you’ve lived together in peace—as diverse and vibrant communities, Christian and Muslim.  Together, you celebrate a proud history and a land of extraordinary beauty.  Together, you emerged from colonialism and achieved independence.  Together, you realize that we are all children of God and that—whatever our faith—we all deserve to live in peace and dignity.

But the awful violence of recent days threatens the country you love.  Innocent men, women and children have been killed.  Families have fled their homes.  And we know from the bitter experience of other countries what happens when societies descend into violence and retribution.  Today, my message to you is simple: it doesn’t have to be this way.  You—the proud citizens of the Central African Republic—have the power to choose a different path.

Respected leaders in your communities—Muslim and Christian—are calling for calm and peace.  I call on the transitional government to join these voices and to arrest those who are committing crimes.   Individuals who are engaging in violence must be held accountable—in accordance with the law.  Meanwhile, as forces from other African countries and France work to restore security, the United States will support their efforts to protect civilians.

Most of all, every citizen of the Central African Republic can show the courage that’s needed right now.  You can show your love for your country by rejecting the violence that would tear it apart.  You can choose peace.  You can choose to live up to the rule that is at the heart of all great faiths— that we treat other people the way we want to be treated ourselves.

That is how we honor our faiths.  That is how reconciliation occurs.  That’s how the Central African Republic can move forward—and return to a better path, toward a future where you and your fellow citizens can seek the security and dignity and peace you deserve. 

Singuila.

- President Obama in Tanzania on July 1, 2013, announcing his Executive Order on Wildlife Trafficking

Tune in on Monday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at http://www.wh.gov/live as the White House hosts a Forum to Counter Wildlife Trafficking featuring Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton.

At the President’s direction, the United States is intensifying our assistance to foreign governments working to combat wildlife trafficking and related organized crime.  At the Forum, Secretary Jewell will announce the members of the new Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking. The Council will work closely with and advise the President’s Task Force in developing a National Strategy on these issues, as directed by the Executive Order on Combating Wildlife Trafficking that the President signed in July.

While the Task Force’s work will create a framework for addressing these issues globally, it will also have significant impact in Africa, where President Obama recently announced an additional $10 million to support our partners’ anti-poaching and law enforcement efforts. As President Obama said during his trip to Tanzania, this is “an issue that’s inseparable from Africa’s identity and prosperity.” Wildlife trafficking is a multi-billion dollar illegal industry that is decimating Africa’s iconic animal populations, especially elephants and rhinoceroses, which could lead to their extinction. Networks of poachers, criminals, and corrupt officials exploit porous borders and weak institutions to profit from trading in protected animals, threatening their very existence and undermining the ecotourism industry and international security.

You can see the announcement and view the discussion live here from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on September 9, 2013.

Learn more about U.S. efforts to combat wildlife trafficking by reading our fact sheet.

President Barack Obama meets with Ambassador Donald Booth, Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, in the Oval Office, Aug. 28, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today, President Obama appointed Ambassador Donald Booth as the new U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan.  A former U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, Zambia, and Liberia, Ambassador Booth is one of our most experienced diplomats and has extensive experience promoting peace and prosperity across the African continent.  He is seasoned, determined, and deeply committed to pursuing peace between and within Sudan and South Sudan.

Ambassador Booth joins our Sudan and South Sudan team at a critical time.  Working closely with the African Union and our other international partners, he will play a vital role in urging Sudan and South Sudan to make progress on resolving outstanding issues, including the status of the disputed region of Abyei.  He will continue U.S. efforts to press for a peaceful and definitive end to the conflicts in Darfur, Southern Kordofan, and Blue Nile as part of a holistic solution to Sudan’s human rights, humanitarian, and governance crises.  And he will urge South Sudan to stay focused on protecting its people, meeting their needs, and realizing their aspirations for a more peaceful, prosperous, and democratic future. 

As the President told Ambassador Booth today during their meeting in the Oval Office, supporting peace between and within Sudan and South Sudan remains a priority for this Administration.  As Ambassador Booth carries forward this important work on behalf of the United States, he does so with the President's full support.

Read the President’s statement.

Learn more about Ambassador Booth.

National Security Staff Senior Director for Development and Democracy Gayle Smith, Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights Steve Pomper, and Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs Grant T. Harris discuss the situation in South Sudan at the White House, July 24, 2013. (White House Photo)

At the meeting, National Security Staff Senior Director for Development and Democracy Gayle Smith, Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights Steve Pomper, and I invited advocates and humanitarian workers to exchange information on the humanitarian and human rights crisis in Jonglei, and explore ways we can work together to raise awareness and address it.

A significant portion of the conversation focused on what the United States and its partners can do to address disturbing reports of human rights abuses, attacks on civilians, and ethnically motivated violence taking place in Jonglei, including reports that elements of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army have been complicit in the abuses.

We also discussed a looming humanitarian crisis. USAID experts estimate that over 100,000 civilians, predominantly from the Murle ethnic group, have been displaced since May with little access to needed emergency aid.  In the coming weeks, we’ll be working with partner countries, humanitarian organizations, advocacy groups, and others to shine a light on the crisis, press for an immediate end to the violence, and meet the urgent humanitarian needs of those affected by the conflict.

The United States remains strongly committed to promoting peace and prosperity in Sudan and South Sudan, and will continue to encourage South Sudan to stay true to the vision it laid out for itself two years ago at its independence: of democracy and good governance, justice and accountability, and respect for rule of law and the human rights of all of South Sudan's people.

Today President Obama welcomed President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Joyce Banda of Malawi, and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde to the White House.  The United States has strong partnerships with these countries based on shared democratic values and shared interests.  Each of these leaders has undertaken significant efforts to strengthen democratic institutions, protect and expand human rights and civil liberties, and increase economic opportunities for their people. 

President Obama and the visiting leaders discussed how the United States can expand our partnership to support their efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and promote economic opportunity, both in their countries and across sub-Saharan Africa.  A particular focus of the conversation was on the importance of transparency and respect for human rights, and President Obama commended each leader for their work in these areas and their commitment to join the Open Government Partnership.  President Obama also commended these leaders for their leadership on food security and engaged the leaders in a fruitful conversation about how the United States can help Africa harness the potential of its young people and empower the next generation of African leaders.

While in Washington, each leader is participating in numerous meetings and events to strengthen bilateral cooperation on a range of shared priorities.  Joint events include a dinner hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa to discuss trade and investment opportunities with representatives from U.S. businesses; a public discussion on democratization in Africa at the United States Institute for Peace; an economic and development roundtable with U.S. government officials; and a meeting with Secretary of Defense Hagel to discuss cooperation on shared regional security and peacekeeping objectives in Africa.

The visit of these four leaders underscores the President’s commitment to substantive engagement and strengthened partnerships with African nations.  A link to the President’s remarks following the meeting can be found here, and you can watch a video of the leaders above or on YouTube.

President Barack Obama meets with, from left, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Joyce Banda of Malawi, President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde in the Cabinet Room of the White House, March 28, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

In these videotaped remarks, President Obama delivers a clear message to the people of Kenya: the upcoming elections are a historic opportunity for Kenyans to stand together, as a nation, for peace and progress, and for the rule of law. The President has strong ties to the people of Kenya. From visiting his father’s village to touring the country as a U.S. Senator, he has a deep and personal interest in seeing Kenya flourish.

Kenyans have made remarkable progress since the devastating violence that followed the elections five years ago. Lives and communities have been rebuilt, the economy has rebounded, and Kenyans have peacefully stood together to pass a historic constitution and advance important political reforms. While the international community has assisted these efforts, the Kenyan people have stood together to solidify the rule of law and put Kenya on a path to greater prosperity.

As Kenyans prepare for the March elections, President Obama urges the people of Kenya to put aside tribal and ethnic differences; to clearly reject intimidation and violence; to address electoral disputes through Kenya’s courts, rather than on the streets; and to come together as a nation on the 50th anniversary of Kenyan independence. It is a moment to put strife and impunity firmly in the past, and to embrace a bright and peaceful future.

The eyes of the world will be on Kenya this March, and the United States stands with the Kenyan people during this historic moment. As President Obama has stated, “to all that are willing to walk this path of progress, you will continue to have a strong friend and partner in the United States of America.”

President Barack Obama delivers remarks to Parliament at the International Conference Centre in Accra, Ghana, July 11, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Today, President Obama took another step in deepening our partnerships with the nations and peoples of sub-Saharan Africa.  In signing a new Presidential Policy Directive on the region, President Obama has committed the United States to a forward-looking strategy in which we will work closely with our African partners to advance the prosperity, security, and dignity that citizens deserve.

Developed through a rigorous process that drew on the expertise of leaders from both inside and outside of government—including African voices—this new Directive places the United States in a stronger position to help our African partners seize the opportunities and meet the challenges facing the continent.

The U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa reflects the core components and strategic priorities outlined in the Presidential Policy Directive. The strategy sets forth four strategic objectives for U.S. engagement in Africa: (1) strengthen democratic institutions; (2) spur economic growth, trade, and investment; (3) advance peace and security; and (4) promote opportunity and development.

Two of these objectives—strengthening democratic institutions and promoting economic growth, trade, and investment—will receive particular attention.  Under the President’s strategy the United States will help strengthen institutions at every level, promote more open and accountable governance that advances the aspirations of Africans, and expand efforts to promote human rights and the rule of law.  Importantly, the strategy makes clear that the United States will not stand idly by when leaders threaten the credibility of democratic processes.

This strategy recognizes President Obama’s firm belief that—even as Africa faces enduring challenges—this is a moment of great economic promise for sub-Saharan Africa.  The United States has a unique opportunity to help ensure that the benefits of growth accrue to the many, not just the few.  We will work to expand sub-Saharan Africa’s capacity to access and benefit from global markets, promote regional integration, and strengthen economic governance.  U.S. companies can and should play a role in this process, bringing capital, technology, and American resourcefulness to support Africa’s continued development, as well as the creation of jobs in America.

At the same time, the strategy reaffirms the U.S. commitment to advancing peace and security on the continent and pursuing our global development priorities which help citizens live lives of opportunity and dignity.

Throughout all of these efforts, the United States will prioritize efforts to empower Africa’s next generation of civic leaders, entrepreneurs, and agents of change. Through the President’s Young African Leaders Initiative, we are providing the tools to support leadership development, promote entrepreneurship, and connect young leaders with one another, and with the United States. These capable individuals are already changing the continent for the better, and their ideas and ingenuity will shape the trajectory of Africa’s progress for years to come.

As the President said during his visit to Ghana, the people of Africa are ready to claim their future. This strategy makes clear that the United States will, in the spirit of partnership and mutual respect, stand with the people of Africa in support of their aspirations for a shared future of freedom and prosperity.

For additional information, see the Fact Sheet on the Obama Administration’s efforts in sub-Saharan Africa.

 Learn More:  

• Read Deputy National Security Advisor Mike Froman's remarks before AGOA
• Watch President Obama's speech in Accra
• See all coverage of First Lady Michelle Obama's 2011 visit with young African leaders in South Africa
• See photos from the First Family's 2009 trip to Ghana on flickr

In these videotaped remarks, President Obama sends an important and very clear message to the people of Sudan and South Sudan: conflict is not inevitable. The people of Sudan and South Sudan still have a choice, a chance to avoid being dragged back into war. Sudan needs to halt all military actions, including aerial bombardments; give aid workers unfettered access to people in need; and end support for armed groups. Similarly, South Sudan must end its support for armed groups inside Sudan and cease its military actions across the border.  All parties fighting – including in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States – must recognize that the only way to achieve real and lasting security is to resolve their differences through negotiation. 

President Obama is gravely concerned by the situation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, especially as the violent clashes continue along the shared border with South Sudan. He continues to urge all sides to exercise maximum restraint and to emphasize the importance of finding peaceful solutions for Sudan and South Sudan. The President is deeply committed to seeing Sudan and South Sudan become two economically prosperous states living side-by-side in peace.

The people of Sudan and South Sudan have endured extraordinary hardship over years of war. But in recent years, against great odds, they have made tremendous progress toward a future of peace. The future of Sudan and South Sudan belongs to them and, as President Obama makes clear in his remarks, those who have the courage to walk the path of peace will have a strong and steady partner in the United States of America.