It was a prophetic warning from a high-ranking State Department official.</p><p>On Nov. 13, just two days before Somalian hijackers seized a Saudi oil tanker, members of the Trotter Group, a collection of black columnists from across the country, were warned by Jendayi Frazer that Somalia is without question the most dangerous country on the African continent.</p><p>On Nov. 15, pirates took control of the Sirius Star and began holding the ship&#8217;s 25-member crew hostage. The hijackers at first sought $25 million in ransom, but have lowered their demand to $15 million.</p><p>Three days after the ship was seized, it was taken to Harardhere, 180 miles north of the lawless Somalia capital of Mogadishu. The hijackers have given the ship&#8217;s owners until Nov. 30 to pay the ransom.</p><p>During the interview at the State Department in Washington , Frazer, the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of African Affairs, told the Trotter Group: &#8220;Certainly Somalia has been a failed state for 19 years, and it is still a failed state. It is, in fact, the hottest region for terrorist activity on the continent. Obviously terrorism is a global challenge. Somalia is a focal point of that challenge.&#8221;</p><p>A major problem is that Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991.</p><p>&#8220;The instability of that country creates an easy sanctuary for terrorist activity,&#8221; Frazer said.</p><p>In addition to Somalia, Frazer provided an overview of the challenges facing the continent, including the eastern Congo, which for the third time in 12 years is in conflict.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re facing some huge challenges in the eastern Congo,&#8221; Frazer said. &#8220;The way ahead isn&#8217;t very clear. There&#8217;s a lot of work that needs to be done to stabilize that situation, most of it political.&#8221;</p><p>Darfur, which has been dealing with a humanitarian catastrophe that stems from tribal and ethnic conflict that started in 2003, also remains a major challenge.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re focusing on trying to get peacekeepers on the ground there,&#8221; Frazer said. &#8220;We&#8217;re putting pressure on the government to continue to allow humanitarian access.&#8221;</p><p>While the media focus primarily on the challenges in Africa, Frazer pointed out the success stories there.</p><p>&#8220;If you want to show countries that exemplify that positive trend, look at Liberia and Sierra Leone,&#8221; Frazer said. &#8220;These are two countries that were absolutely in the throes of civil war in 2001. Now they&#8217;ve made the transition all the way from post-conflict to democratically elected governments. It&#8217;s a very positive story in Sierra Leone.&#8221;</p><p>Lately, Frazer said, her bureau has been busy preparing for the transition to President-elect Barack Obama, who is expected to name Sen. Hillary Clinton as the next secretary of state.</p><p>Frazer said she&#8217;s a bit nervous about the transition and the policy direction of the next administration. Africa has been served well by the foreign policy of President Bush, she said.</p><p>&#8220;We did far more than I ever expected,&#8221; Frazer said. &#8220;The administration&#8217;s record far exceeded my expectations.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m nervous because I don&#8217;t want Africa to be framed as a humanitarian crisis. I want Africa to be considered a strategic priority for the United States.&#8221;</p><p>The Bush administration deserves credit for raising the bar on aid and humanitarian assistance to the continent, as well as erasing much of Africa&#8217;s debt.</p><p>As the State Department transitions to a new team, the media will watch closely to see whether the commitments made to the continent increase, decrease or remain status quo.</p><p>It&#8217;s just a hunch, but it&#8217;s not likely that Obama and his administration would want officials from the Bush administration to boast in future years that they did more for the continent of Africa than the first African-American president did.