America's top diplomat in Africa focuses on Kenya and defends U.S. policy in Somalia and the Sudan

Before the recent unrest in Kenya, America's top diplomat to Africa was already busy. Jendayi Frazer, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, has tried to hold together fragile peace agreements in southern Sudan and Africa's Great Lakes region, while keeping an eye on Islamic militants in Somalia and the continued decline of Zimbabwe. An acolyte of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice from their days together at Stanford—where Frazer wrote her dissertation on military-civilian relationships in the Kenyan government—Frazer recently spoke with NEWSWEEK's Jason McLure in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: You've said that recent events in Kenya have amounted to ethnic cleansing. Are you concerned that the country could spiral into a Rwanda-type genocide?
Jendayi Frazer: No. I was there about Jan. 5. The attacks against the Kikuyu population in the Rift Valley were intended not to kill them, based on what the victims themselves were saying. Rather, they were given an hour in which to leave their land or their homes, and if they did not leave then they were attacked. It seemed the point was to move them out of the area, not to kill them. I was saying it was cleansing the area of this particular ethnic group, not to eliminate the ethnic group in terms of a genocide.

So this was the Kalenjins doing this to the Kikuyus?
Yes.


During the campaign last year, Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga said he would perhaps offer less cooperation in the U.S.-led war on terrorism than President Mwai Kibaki has. Immediately after the Kenyan election the United States congratulated Kibaki and recognized the election results. Did the initial reaction have anything to do with the respective candidates' views toward the United States?
[That was] another media thing. In fact, what we said is we congratulate the people of Kenya and we support the work of the chairman.

State Department spokesman Rob McInturff said on Dec. 30, "We obviously congratulate the president on his election."
I don't know about that quote. I know what the statement is that was cleared at the State Department. The statement came out the day before the election was announced, and the intention was to congratulate the people and to support the chairman of the electoral commission, so I can't speak to what that person said.

As one of the most prominent African-Americans in U.S. foreign policy, do you ever feel frustrated that African crises don't get as much attention as those in other parts of the world?
That's not been my experience.

In Kosovo there were 60,000 peacekeepers; about 12,000 civilians died. In Congo 5.4 million people have died 10 years on …
Yes, well 5.4 million people haven't died since this administration has been in office. This administration has been working very, very, very closely on the Congo. President Bush held the first meeting between [Joseph] Kabila, [Rwandan President Paul] Kagame, and [South African President Thabo] Mbeki in 2001, nine months into the administration. There has not been a lack of attention in this administration on African crises. This administration has supported every single peacekeeping mission in Africa.