About a week after imposing a travel ban on seven African countries, the Donald Trump-led US administration is now considering additional visa restrictions on citizens of Nigeria and 24 other African nations.According to a report by *The Washington Post*, this plan was outlined in a memo signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and circulated to diplomats stationed in the affected countries on Saturday.
Altogether, 36 countries are under review for potential travel restrictions. The African nations listed include Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
In addition to the African nations, the memo also lists 11 non-African countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Bhutan, Cambodia, Dominica, Kyrgyzstan, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Syria, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.This latest move is part of a broader immigration crackdown by the Trump administration and represents a significant expansion of previous restrictions.
In the memo, the US government outlined several reasons for the proposed bans. It cited the lack of reliable central authorities in some countries to issue identification or civil documents, widespread governmental fraud, and high numbers of visa overstays. The document also raised concerns over countries that sell citizenship in exchange for money without requiring residency, and allegations that some nationals from these countries had engaged in antisemitic or anti-American activities while in the US.
However, the memo suggested that countries willing to cooperate—such as by accepting deported third-country nationals or signing a “safe third country” agreement—could potentially avoid the sanctions.The US has given all affected nations 60 days to meet specific benchmarks. Additionally, Nigeria and the others have been given until 8 a.m. Wednesday to submit an initial action plan addressing the US concerns.
African nations have borne the brunt of US travel restrictions under Trump’s second administration. An earlier proclamation affected citizens from 12 countries, seven of which were in Africa. At one point, US officials had drafted a list of 43 countries potentially facing a ban, 22 of which were African, though Nigeria was not initially among them.
The African Union Commission has expressed concern over the increasing number of African countries facing travel restrictions. It warned that such arbitrary actions could harm decades of diplomatic relations and urged the US to reconsider. “The African Union Commission respectfully appeals to the United States to exercise this right in a manner that is balanced, evidence-based, and reflective of the long-standing partnership between the United States and Africa,” the commission stated.
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