Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has criticized African leaders who he said remain aloof in the fight against AIDS.
President Carter told a health conference in Nairobi Monday that leaders who remain detached from the AIDS crisis, in many cases, will continue to see an increase in the rate of infections in their countries. On Friday, Mr. Carter criticized the government of South Africa for not being proactive in curbing the spread of AIDS.
Mr. Carter praised Kenya's President Daniel arap Moi for declaring AIDS a national disaster and for asking citizens to abstain from sex in an effort to combat the virus. Mr. Carter said countries like Kenya, Senegal, and Nigeria are making gains in slowing the disease.
Mr. Carter and William Gates, Sr., father of Microsoft executive Bill Gates, were visiting Kenya on the final leg of an AIDS awareness tour of three African countries, including Nigeria and South Africa. In Kenya, Mr. Gates announced that the Gates Foundation would donate $2 million for AIDS prevention and education.