@RasCanjero look at what's happening to Montenegro. They took a big loan from China to build a big highway to their main port. The Montenegro PM raised his concerns of losing huge portion of their 'land' to China if they don't pay the loans owed on time.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ay-to-nowhere-haunts-montenegro-idUSKBN1K60QX
		 
		
	 
Loans have overt dangers but aid has a more nefarious hidden danger. 
Loans are business transactions which usually are transparent (to the extent African government transactions are).
However, gifts are usually transfered through ambiguous terms and vehicles where the ones getting the benefits are actually connected contractors working with China and the rest gets embezzled by the local African leaders through the local overpriced materials and logistics suppliers that they control.
This type of corruption essentially holds our government hostage through these untraceable gifts that corrupt whole institutions from within.
In Africa, there's less stigma when it comes to skimming of the top of foreign aid compared to putting the country into debt before running off with the money.
The AU itself would applaud the former while the latter would be unacceptable even in Africa.
Debts could be defaulted but you can't change a corrupted politician back.
Also debt bring accountability and a sense of ownership to the projects they were meant for.
If we're paying for it then we'll more likely make the most out of the investment.
I also doubt China would actually own anything in Somalia should we fail to pay our debts (although we should).