U.S. top diplomat Blinken to visit Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal next week

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (not pictured) hold a news conference following the U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Dialogue talks at the State Department in Washington, U.S., November 10, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis/Pool

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal from Nov. 15-20, the State Department said on Thursday.

In Nairobi, Blinken will meet with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to discuss topics including cooperation on ending the COVID-19 pandemic and regional security issues such as Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan, the department said in a statement.

Blinken will travel next to Abuja to meet with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to discuss cooperation on global health security, expanding energy access and revitalizing democracy, it said.

In Dakar, Blinken will meet with Senegalese President Macky Sall "to reaffirm the close partnership between our two countries," the statement said.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Chris Reese and Cynthia Osterman)