U.S. President Barack Obama pledged Friday that the United States would remain the “stalwart partner†of democracies in Africa, as he called for global aid for famine victims in the continentâ€TMs east. Obama was speaking after talks at the White House with the leaders of four African nations-the new president of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara; Beninâ€TMs President Boni Yayi, President Alpha Conde of Guinea, and President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger. “I emphasized that the United States has been and will continue to be a stalwart partner with them in this process of democratization and development,†Obama told reporters. The leaders discussed the devastating famine in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa, which had not been given “as much attention here in the United States as it deserves,†Obama said.
