The African Union has shown significant worry regarding President Donald Trump's comprehensive travel restriction for citizens from seven African nations, cautioning that these limitations could harm the extensive diplomatic and economic relationships established between the United States and Africa over many years.
Out of the 12 nations affected by the travel ban announced by Trump on Wednesday, seven are located in Africa.
Starting from Monday, June 9th, individuals from Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan will not be permitted to enter the United States.
Burundi, Sierra Leone, and Togo are three of the seven additional countries facing partial limitations.
In a statement On Thursday, the African Union (AU) stated that they continue to be worried about the possible adverse effects these measures could have on personal connections, educational exchanges, business interactions, and the extensive diplomatic relationships that have taken years to develop meticulously.
The AU, encompassing all 55 countries across Africa, urged Washington to adopt "a more collaborative stance and participate in productive discussions with the affected nations." They also appealed for "open lines of communication" as a means to tackle the root causes of the problems at hand.
Trump's re-election ignites both expectations and uncertainties across Africa.
Terrorism and visa overstays
The Trump administration has rationalized each nation's presence on the list as follows: presidential proclamation . Equatorial Guinea and Republic of Congo have faced issues because of visa overstays, while Somalia and Libya encounter limitations due to terrorism worries.
In a video shared on his Truth Social platform, Trump mentioned that an assessment of "areas with elevated risk" revealed "a significant number of terrorists," along with issues like lack of cooperation regarding visa security, difficulties in confirming travelers’ identities, insufficient documentation of criminal backgrounds, and consistently high levels of unlawful overstay visas.
Trump linked the decision to a recent terror attack in Boulder , Colorado, where he highlighted "the immense risks our nation faces due to the unvetted arrival of foreign individuals, along with those who enter temporarily but fail to leave after their visa terms expire – such entries are undesirable."
The Somali government has committed to collaborating with the U.S. to address security concerns following America’s characterization of Somalia as a “haven for terrorists.” In a statement, Somali Ambassador to the United States Dahir Hassan Abdi remarked: Somalia cherishes its long-standing relationship with the United States and is prepared to participate in discussions to tackle the issues mentioned."
The United States carries out airstrikes against ISIS targets in Somalia.
The residents of Mogadishu expressed their disagreement more bluntly. "I completely oppose the President of the United States' decision," said Salad Abdullahi Mohamed to France’s AFP news agency. "Immigrants from Somalia undertook a treacherous journey just to find a better life."
Ali Abdullahi Ali, another Mogadishu The resident contended that Somali immigrants were merely seeking to improve their livelihoods and support their families, stating further, "I urge the president to revoke this decision and provide the requisite documentation for them to remain and continue their lives and work there."
US-Africa tensions
The travel restriction represents another setback for U.S.-Africa relations during President Trump’s second term. He implemented travel restrictions During his initial term, he asserted that these were "some of our most effective strategies" and believed they had thwarted terrorist acts on American territory.
Early this year, Trump introduced tariffs on numerous African nations as part of his "Freedom Day" trade restructuring initiative. Under this plan, Lesotho was subjected to a 50% tariff rate, Madagascar faced a 47% rate, and Mauritius had a 40% rate applied. However, these rates were provisionally lowered to a uniform 10% until further discussions can be held.
Even with the halt on U.S. tariffs, African economies still confront an unclear future.
Tensions escalated even more in May when Trump did this. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was ambushed During a White House meeting, promoting ideas related to a supposed "white genocide" within the nation.
In its statement, the AU highlighted that "Africa and the United States have shared goals in advancing peace, prosperity, and international collaboration," while recognizing "each nation’s authority to safeguard its borders and guarantee the safety of its people."
Nevertheless, it urged the US to "utilize this right in a way that is balanced, grounded in evidence, and indicative of the longstanding partnership between the United States and Africa."
Trump said that the strength of the restrictions depends on the "severity of the threat posed" and that the list could be revised depending on whether targeted nations made "material improvements".
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).
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