US cuts four African countries from trade pact
The United States said Tuesday it was cutting the Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger and Uganda from a major trade pact over concerns about coups, democracy and human rights.
President Joe Biden said in a letter to Congress that he is removing the four countries from the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, from January 2024.
The pact offers duty-free access into the world's largest economy for sub-Saharan African countries that meet democratic criteria, which are assessed on a yearly basis.
Biden said in his letter that the governments of the CAR and Uganda had both "engaged in gross violations of internationally recognized human rights".
The CAR has been embroiled in civil war for years while Uganda has faced criticism over an anti-gay law.
Niger and Gabon, which have both experienced coups this year, were failing to protect "political pluralism and the rule of law," he said.
Gabon and Niger's eligibility for the deal "will be terminated due to unconstitutional changes of government in those two countries," US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a separate statement.
The United States urged all four countries "to take necessary actions to meet those criteria so that we can resume our valued trading partnerships," Tai said.
Mauritania was meanwhile being reinstated to the pact, she said. It was suspended in 2019 due to concerns over workers' rights.
