KIGALI - The United States’ Assistant Secretary for African affairs, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, arrived in the country yesterday for a two-day visit.

According to a statement from the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy, the visiting diplomat will hold talks with government officials on various issues.

Carson, who arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is on a regional tour and is expected to discuss with government officials about peace and security, and economic development in the region.

The Obama administration’s senior diplomat for Africa, will today visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial where more than 250,000 victims of 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi are buried.

According to US Department of State, Carson will also visit a demobilization camp for former combatants, tour sites and programmes supporting Rwanda’s economic development and food security, and participate in roundtable discussions with civil society organizations on current affairs.

Carson was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, on May 7, 2009. Prior to that, he was the US’ National Intelligence Officer for Africa, after serving as the Senior Vice President of the National Defense University in Washington D.C.

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