Tillerson cancels day's events in Africa due to illness

US, 10 Mar 2018 [Fik/News Sources]: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has cancelled a day of events in Kenya due to illness.

"The Secretary is not feeling well after a long couple days working on major issues back home such as North Korea," said Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein.

There are no indications his illness is serious. Goldstein said some events may be rescheduled for later in his trip, including a planned stop at the site of the 1998 bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi.

Tillerson had planned Saturday to attend an event for PEPFAR, the US programme to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. He also was expected to meet with American diplomats serving at the new US Embassy. The PEPFAR event went on without him, while the embassy visit was scrapped.

A rigorous Africa schedule that included stops in three 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 Donald 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.