Uganda, Tanzania among 36 nations facing possible new US travel restrictions
Reports indicate that the draft list includes 26 African countries as well as nations from the Caribbean, Central Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Uganda and Tanzania are among 36 countries that could soon face new US travel restrictions, just two weeks after Donald Trump’s administration barred citizens from 12 countries from entering the country, citing national security concerns.
Reports indicate that the draft list includes 26 African countries as well as nations from the Caribbean, Central Asia and the Pacific Islands.
More To Read
- Tanzania seeks dialogue with US over potential travel ban
- AU warns Trump’s travel ban threatens decades of Africa-US cooperation
- Trump administration halts scheduling of new student visa appointments
- South Africa's Ramaphosa faces Trump with deals on offer and golfers in tow
- Under attack by Trump, South Africa's Ramaphosa responds with trade deal offer
- Ramaphosa lands in Washington to repair South Africa-US ties
African countries include Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Caribbean nations listed include Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia. Similarly, Bhutan and Kyrgyzstan from Central Asia, and Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu from the Pacific, are also on the list.
According to the Washington Post, the decision was communicated via a memo from the United States' State Department on Saturday, signed by Secretary of State Mark Rubio.
The memo was reportedly shared with the governments of the listed countries, giving them 60 days to comply with newly established benchmarks set by the US State Department.
According to the memo, the countries are failing to meet certain key standards, including having reliable government systems and proper civil documentation. Some nations were flagged for lacking a cooperative central authority or for allowing widespread fraud.
Others had high numbers of citizens who overstayed their US visas. The memo also raised concerns about countries that offer citizenship in exchange for monetary investments without requiring residency, as well as reports of antisemitic or anti-American behaviour by individuals from those countries while in the US.
It added that countries willing to take back deported third-country nationals or enter into "safe third country" agreements could help ease some of these concerns.
The countries were subsequently instructed to submit an initial action plan by Wednesday outlining how they intend to meet the outlined requirements.
The memo did not specify when exactly the proposed travel ban and restrictions would be instituted on the countries for failing to meet the benchmarks.
On June 5, Trump signed an Executive Order which effectively barred citizens from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the United States.
Trump noted then that the list will be subject to revision, adding that other countries will be added to it in future.
Top Stories Today
