African authorities and citizens expressed shock and dismay on Thursday over the abrupt decision by the Trump administration to impose travel bans on people from a string of countries on the continent.
African nations made up seven of the 12 countries banned from entering the United States under the decree signed Wednesday by President Donald Trump.
They are Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan.
The African Union (AU) said in a statement that the ban would harm “people-to-people ties, educational exchange, commercial engagement, and broader diplomatic relations” built with the US over decades.
It appealed to Washington to adopt a “consultative approach and to engage in constructive dialogue with the countries concerned”.
Trump also imposed a ban on travellers from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Haiti, Iran and Yemen.
Chad’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul told AFP the government was “surprised by this announcement and even more by the terrorism-related reason (which) completely disregards Chad’s commitment and results in this area.”
In the Somali capital, Mogadishu, the government did not immediately respond to the ban, but there was anger on the streets.
“I totally disagree with the president of the United States’ decision,” one resident, Salad Abdullahi Mohamed, told AFP.
“Somali immigrants reached there after a long, hazardous trip to get a better life,” he said.
Another resident, Ali Abdullahi Ali, agreed that Somali migrants were simply looking “to make a better living and help their parents”.
“I would call on the president to make this decision null and void and also give the necessary documents to stay and continue living and working there,” he added.
Trump’s ban
US President Donald Trump signed a new travel ban that comes into effect on Monday targeting 12 countries, reviving one of the most controversial measures from his first term.
Trump said on Wednesday that the measure was spurred by a makeshift flamethrower attack on a Jewish protest in Colorado that US authorities blamed on a man they said was in the country irregularly.
Trump also imposed a partial ban on travellers from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Some temporary work visas from those countries will be allowed.
“The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted,” Trump said in a video message from the Oval Office posted on the social media platform X.
“We don’t want them.”
World Cup, Olympics not affected by ban
The ban will not apply to athletes competing in the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, as well as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Trump’s order said.
Trump announced separately on Wednesday a ban on visas for foreign students who are set to begin attending Harvard University, ramping up his crackdown on what he regards as a bastion of liberalism. Amnesty International USA called the ban “discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel.”
In Myanmar, one student affected by the ban only got her US study visa two days ago and said it would hit many young people’s dreams of escaping oppression.
“We don’t really have life here, and people want to escape to a country where we can breathe, we can walk, we can study,” she told AFP from Yangon.
“I think it’s very shocking.”
The ban could yet face legal challenges, as have many of the drastic measures Trump has taken since his whirlwind return to office in January.
Terrorism allegations
Rumours of a new Trump travel ban had circulated following the attack in Colorado, with his administration vowing to pursue “terrorists” living in the United States on visas.
Suspect Mohammed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national according to court documents, is alleged to have thrown fire bombs and sprayed burning gasoline at a group of people who had gathered on Sunday in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
US Homeland Security officials said Soliman was in the country illegally, having overstayed a tourist visa, but that he had applied for asylum in September 2022.
“President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said on X.
Trump gave specific reasons for each country in his proclamation, which says it is aimed at protecting the United States from foreign terrorists and other national security threats.
Egypt was notably not on the list of countries facing travel restrictions.
The proclamation said Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and war-torn Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen lacked “competent” central authorities for processing passports and vetting.
Iran, with which the United States is in negotiations on a possible nuclear deal, was included because it is a “state sponsor of terrorism,” the order said.
“The impact of the ban will once again be felt by Americans who were denied the ability to see their loved ones at weddings, funerals, or the birth of a child,” said National Iranian American Council president Jamal Abdi.
For most of the other countries, Trump’s order cited an above-average likelihood that people would overstay their visas.
