African countries listed in a leaked US State Department cable as potential targets for expanded travel restrictions are urgently engaging in diplomatic efforts to prevent the ban from being implemented.
According to the document seen by the Washington Post, the US is considering expanding its travel ban to include citizens from an additional 36 countries if they fail to meet certain security benchmarks within 60 days.
Signed by the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, the cable cites several concerns including the use of unreliable identity documents and passports, visa overstays and lack of cooperation with deportation processes. It also references threats posed by nationals allegedly involved in terrorism, antisemitic or anti-American activity.
The countries that could face a full or a partial ban if they do not address these concerns include Angola, DRC, Malawi, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Egypt and Nigeria.
This would be a significant expansion of the ban that came into effect earlier this month for Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Diplomatic interventions
In response to the new potential ban list, the African Union Commission published a statement urging the US to reconsider.
“The African Union Commission respectfully calls upon the US Administration to consider adopting a more consultative approach and to engage in constructive dialogue with the countries concerned. The Commission appeals for transparent communication and, where necessary, collaborative efforts to address any underlying issues that may have informed this decision,” said the statement.
The Commission argued that the ban would negatively affect people-to-people ties, educational exchange, commercial engagement, and the broader diplomatic relations between Africa and the US.
Additionally, the Tanzanian government published a statement saying that its Ministry for Foreign Affairs was engaging in discussion with the US administration to change its position on the potential ban.
“Our goal is to understand the areas for improvement, particularly those related to consular issues, in order to expedite Tanzania’s removal from the latest US red list,” said Gerson Msigwa, spokesperson for the Tanzanian government.
The Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Foreign Ministers, Yusuf Tuggar, expressed disappointment in the new list, stating that it would severely impact trade relations and industry collaborations between the region and the US.
"This would be most unfortunate if it (the travel ban) comes to pass, because we are a region of opportunities ready to do deals. We would like to do deals with the US, but visa restrictions are non-tariff barriers to deals," said Tuggar.
Ten of ECOWAS’s 13 member states appeared on the new potential travel ban list.
