U.S. reopens diplomatic office
The United States reopened a diplomatic office in Guinea-Bissau to extend its influence there after a decade of absence, amid fears the West African country is becoming a hub for Latin American drug traffickers.
Washington closed its diplomatic mission in Bissau shortly before a brief civil war, but has since maintained diplomatic relations with the former Portuguese colony through the U.S. Embassy in Senegal.
Claud Young, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, said opening the diplomatic liaison office was part of a five-year program to return to a full diplomatic presence in Guinea-Bissau.
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