THE US state department says it is considering withholding lifesaving assistance to people with HIV in Zambia, as a negotiating tactic to force the signing of a deal, giving the United States more access to Zambia’s critical minerals, the New York Times has reported. According to the New York Times, a draft of a memo prepared for Secretary of State Marco Rubio by the department’s Africa Bureau staff, revealed that the Trump administration was considering whether to ‘significantly cut assistance’ as soon as May, to increase pressure on Zambia. “The State Department is considering withholding lifesaving assistance to people with H.I.V. in Zambia as a negotiating tactic to force the government of the southern African country to sign a deal...
