JOHANNESBURG/LUSAKA (Reuters) &#8211; African politicians labelled U.S. President Donald Trump a racist on Friday after he was reported to have described some immigrants from Africa and Haiti as coming from “shithole” countries.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Trump comment on “shithole countries” extremely offensive – SA official <a href="https://t.co/xh15wkCfn1">https://t.co/xh15wkCfn1</a> How do you feel about his comments
— CNBC Africa (@cnbcafrica) <a href="https://twitter.com/cnbcafrica/status/951822386437021697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
Sources told Reuters on Thursday that Trump had questioned why the United States would want immigrants from “shithole countries” like Haiti and some African countries during a briefing on draft immigration legislation.
Trump denied on Friday using such derogatory language, but he had already been widely condemned in many African countries and by international rights organisations.
<div class="DPSlot_container_2dHIN DPSlot_inline_1oeo6">“Ours is not a shithole country and neither is Haiti or any other country in distress,” Jessie Duarte, the deputy secretary general of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress told reporters at a news conference in East London.</div>
“We would not deign to make comments as derogatory as that about any country that has any kind of socio-economic or other difficulties,” Duarte said, adding that much like their African counterparts millions of U.S. citizens were affected by problems such as unemployment.
<div>Botswana’s foreign ministry summoned the U.S. ambassador in protest and called the comments “highly irresponsible, reprehensible and racist.”</div>

It said in a statement that it had asked the U.S. government, through its ambassador, to “clarify” if the derogatory remark also applied to Botswana given that there were Botswana nationals living in the United States and others who wished to go there.
U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva that Trump’s comments were “shocking and shameful”.
Since taking office a year ago, Trump has pursued controversial policies aimed at curbing illegal immigration into the United States as part of a hard-line “America First” agenda.
Trump said on Twitter on Friday that he merely used “tough” language when discussing a new immigration bill with a group of U.S. senators.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used. What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made &#8211; a big setback for DACA!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/951793123985973248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He said the bill was a step backwards because it would force the United States “to take large numbers of people from high crime countries which are doing badly”.
The Trump administration has spoken little about how it wants to engage with African countries, focusing its foreign policy instead on issues like North Korea and Islamic State.
In November it ended Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Haiti and Nicaragua, giving 59,000 Haitian immigrants until July 2019 to return home or legalize their presence in the United States.
On the streets of Lusaka, capital of the southern African country of Zambia, Trump’s reported remark reinforced long-held views about the U.S. leader.
“Trump has always been a racist, only a racist can use such foul language,” said Nancy Mulenga, a student at the University of Zambia. Robert Chiponda, a communications consultant in Lusaka, said he never took Trump seriously.
Others used humour to ridicule the offensive comments.
“As someone from South Shithole, Trevor is deeply offended by the president’s remarks,” U.S. television programme The Daily Show wrote on Twitter, referring to its South Africa-born host Trevor Noah.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT" data-reactid="62">
Reporting by Ed Stoddard in East London, Chris Mfula in Lusaka and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Alexander Winning in Johannesburg; Editing by Richard Balmforth
</div>

This is Africa’s response to US President Trump’s “shithole” remark…

Why economists got Russian sanctions wrong | CNBC International

What is the water-energy nexus and why does it matter? | Sustainable Energy

Babies are more expensive than ever – I’d know! | CNBC International

Is universal basic income working? We went to Finland to find out | CNBC Reports

CNBC International’s 2017 Bloopers | CNBC International

What is universal basic income? | CNBC Explains

Libya put 142 illegal migrants on a flight back to Guinea on Wednesday with the help of the U.N. migration agency, officials said, as the North African country steps up deportations to ease severe overcrowding in its detention centres.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-43932 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/flow_of_migrants_reuters.jpg" alt="Europe hopes to stall migration at meeting with Africa" width="600" height="385" />
The number of people stuck in Libyan detention centres has risen dramatically this year after armed groups largely shut down the boat route to Italy from the smuggling hub of Sabratha.
The International Organization for Migration flew the Guinean migrants from two western cities to the city of Misrata, from where they boarded a plane for Conakry.
The deportations come in the wake of a CNN report on migrants being sold for slave labour that sparked an international outcry.
Migrant flows through Libya have surged since 2014. More than 600,000 people have crossed the central Mediterranean to Italy in the past three years, but departures from Libya’s coast dropped sharply in July when armed groups in Sabratha began preventing boats from leaving.
After clashes in the western city in September, thousands of migrants held near the coast emerged and were transferred to detention centres under the nominal control of the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli.
Amnesty International said this month that up to 20,000 people are being held in detention centres and are subject to “torture, forced labour, extortion, and unlawful killings”. Other human rights organisations have said similar things in recent months.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT" data-reactid="46">
Reporting by Ayman Salhi and Mostafa Salem; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Hugh Lawson
</div>

Libya puts 142 migrants on plane back to Guinea

Armed men blew up a Libyan pipeline pumping crude oil to Es Sider port on Tuesday, reducing the North African country’s output by around 90,000 barrels a day, military and oil sources said.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-131944 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/hqdefault-50.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="360" />
The attackers arrived at the site near Marada in two cars and planted explosives on the pipeline, a military source said.
Pictures purportedly showing a huge cloud from the blast in central eastern Libya circulated on social media.
The damage was still being assessed, one oil source said. Oil prices rose on the report.
Islamic State fighters had a presence in the area until government forces expelled them from their main stronghold in Sirte a year ago.
The operator of the pipeline is Waha, a subsidiary of Libya’s National Oil Corporation and a joint venture with Hess Corp, Marathon Oil Corp and ConocoPhillips.
Waha pumps a total 260,000 barrels a day, its chairman said last month.
Libya’s oil production was last put by officials at around one million bpd but exact figures are hard to obtain a country riven by factional conflict.
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT" data-reactid="40">
Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli, Ulf Laessing, Ahmed Elumami and Ahmed Ghaddar; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Andrew Roche
</div>

Blast hits Libyan crude pipeline, cutting output by 90,000 bpd

Water and energy’s close relationship | Sustainable Energy

We got Gary Vaynerchuk to try the world’s smelliest fruit | CNBC Reports

‘Cake Boss’ Buddy Valastro’s 7 tips to succeed in business | CNBC Profiles

The water-energy nexus and why it matters, part 2 | Sustainable Energy

The water-energy nexus: Why it matters, part 1 | Sustainable Energy

How to make millions selling passports to Africa

How much money do Christmas songs make? | CNBC Explains

International News

This is Africa’s response to US President Trump’s “shithole” remark…

Why economists got Russian sanctions wrong | CNBC International

What is the water-energy nexus and why does it matter? | Sustainable Energy

Babies are more expensive than ever – I’d know! | CNBC International

Is universal basic income working? We went to Finland to find out | CNBC Reports

CNBC International’s 2017 Bloopers | CNBC International

What is universal basic income? | CNBC Explains

Libya puts 142 migrants on plane back to Guinea

Blast hits Libyan crude pipeline, cutting output by 90,000 bpd

Water and energy’s close relationship | Sustainable Energy

We got Gary Vaynerchuk to try the world’s smelliest fruit | CNBC Reports

‘Cake Boss’ Buddy Valastro’s 7 tips to succeed in business | CNBC Profiles

The water-energy nexus and why it matters, part 2 | Sustainable Energy

The water-energy nexus: Why it matters, part 1 | Sustainable Energy

How to make millions selling passports to Africa

How much money do Christmas songs make? | CNBC Explains

Teaching business in North Korea | CNBC Profiles

News Tips

Advertise With Us

International News

This is Africa’s response to US President Trump’s “shithole” remark…

Why economists got Russian sanctions wrong | CNBC International

What is the water-energy nexus and why does it matter? | Sustainable Energy

Babies are more expensive than ever – I’d know! | CNBC International

Is universal basic income working? We went to Finland to find out | CNBC Reports

CNBC International’s 2017 Bloopers | CNBC International

What is universal basic income? | CNBC Explains

Libya puts 142 migrants on plane back to Guinea

Blast hits Libyan crude pipeline, cutting output by 90,000 bpd

Water and energy’s close relationship | Sustainable Energy

We got Gary Vaynerchuk to try the world’s smelliest fruit | CNBC Reports

‘Cake Boss’ Buddy Valastro’s 7 tips to succeed in business | CNBC Profiles

The water-energy nexus and why it matters, part 2 | Sustainable Energy

The water-energy nexus: Why it matters, part 1 | Sustainable Energy

How to make millions selling passports to Africa

How much money do Christmas songs make? | CNBC Explains

Teaching business in North Korea | CNBC Profiles

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletters