Tillerson cancels events in Africa after falling ill

March 10, 2018

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson looks on during a press conference on March 9, 2018 in Nairobi, following his arrival to Kenya from Ethiopia, on his four-nation tour of Africa.

AFP/Getty

NAIROBI, Kenya — U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson canceled his scheduled events Saturday in Kenya because he was sick. “The secretary is not feeling well after a long couple days working on major issues back home such as North Korea,” U.S. Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein said.

“Some events will go ahead without him, while they are looking at the possibility of rescheduling others,” Goldstein explained, according to Reuters news agency.

By the afternoon, Tillerson had improved and was expected to resume his schedule Sunday.

One event that may be rescheduled, Goldstein said, included a planned stop at the site of the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

An event Saturday for PEPFAR, the U.S. program to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa, went ahead without Tillerson. His visit to the U.S. Embassy to meet with American diplomats was scrapped.

A rigorous schedule that included stops in three African countries on Friday has been made even more strenuous for Tillerson by events in Washington. Tillerson was up much of the previous night working the phones when President Trump agreed to a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Tillerson arrived in Kenya on Friday afternoon for the third stop on his five-country tour of Africa. He had started his day Friday in Ethiopia with the North Korea announcement and flew to Djibouti for a brief visit before continuing on to Nairobi.