Biden tells leaders US is 'all in' for Africa

WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden threw his support behind a larger African role in the world as he also vowed to champion democracy in a continent where China and Russia have enjoyed rising clout.

"The United States is all in on Africa and all in with Africa," Biden told nearly 50 African leaders who have spent three days in a wintry Washington summit that featured a gala White House dinner.

"Africa belongs to the table in every room -- every room for global challenges that are being discussed," Biden said. 

Biden, who in September called for an African permanent seat on the UN Security Council, backed a permanent African Union role in the Group of 20 economies and said he was planning a visit -- the first by a US president since 2015 -- to sub-Saharan Africa.

The summit is the first of its kind since African leaders came in 2014 to see Barack Obama, whose successor Donald Trump made no secret of his lack of interest in Africa.

China for the past decade has eclipsed the United States as an investor, and Russia in recent years has sent in mercenaries and sought diplomatic support against Western pressure.

Biden announced $2.5-billion in new assistance on food as price increases lead to hunger across the continent, especially in the drought-struck Horn.

"Russia's brutal war in Ukraine has led to the disruption of food and energy supplies that affect all of our economies," Vice President Kamala Harris told a luncheon.

She told African leaders that "international rules and norms are under threat -- for example, sovereignty and territory integrity, unimpeded commerce and peaceful resolution of disputes."