African States Denounce Expanded Travel Ban
President Muhammudu Buhari of Nigeria represents the continent’s most populous state, which is a close ally of the U.S.
Government officials from Nigeria, Kyrgyzstan, and Eritrea have recently responded with frustration toward a January 31 announcement that President Donald Trump intends to add Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan, Tanzania, Myanmar, and Kyrgyzstan to his travel-ban list for allegedly failing to meet security requirements related to sharing records of potential travelers.
The travel ban, codified in Executive Order 13769, was signed by Trump in January 2017. It restricted travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. At the time, Trump justified the policy by saying, “We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country, and love deeply our people.” While the ban was subject to an intense legal battle, it was ultimately upheld 5-4 by the Supreme Court in June 2018.
The proclamation to expand the ban, signed by Trump on January 31, places restrictions on six new countries. Visa applications from Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, and Nigeria will be banned. Sudan and Tanzania will be subject to less severe restrictions, and their citizens will be made ineligible to enter the green card lottery system.
Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf explained the restrictions as "the result of these countries’ unwillingness or inability to adhere to our identity management, information sharing, national security, and public safety assessment criteria.” He also said that the restrictions are not permanent but rather are subject to revision or cancellation if the affected countries meet American security standards. Barring any changes, these policies will go into effect on February 22.
African officials, most notably from Nigeria and Eritrea, have denounced the policy and the alleged failure of the Trump administration to effectively communicate with them; however, they appear willing to work past the issue. Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama admitted that Nigeria was “somewhat blindsided with the announcement of the visa restrictions by the U.S.,” but he is hopeful that the restrictions will soon be dropped as a result of dialogue and communication with U.S. officials.
Nigerian Information Minister Lai Mohammed was similarly vexed by the announcement, saying, “A travel ban is going to send the wrong signal to investors, it is going to stifle the good of the country and vulnerable people who need medication and schools will be the most affected.”
Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed was similarly frustrated, calling the move “unacceptable.”
Some experts expressed concern over the move’s consequences for other American trade and counterterrorism policy in Africa, such as the American initiative Prosper Africa, intended to increase trade and investment between Africa and the U.S. As Nigerian economist Nonso Obikili pointed out, “If on the one hand you’re trying to make a push into Africa, and on the other hand you’re barring the largest African country by population from moving to your country, then it does send mixed signals.”