Tanzania seeks dialogue with US over potential travel ban
Reports indicate that the draft list of countries being considered for travel restrictions by the US includes 26 African states as well as nations from the Caribbean, Central Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Tanzania has reached out to the US government for diplomatic talks following reports that its citizens could soon face entry restrictions under the Donald Trump-led administration.
Media reports earlier this week indicated that Tanzania is among 36 countries that could face new US travel restrictions, just weeks after Trump barred citizens from 12 countries from entering the country.
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Tanzania's Government Spokesperson and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Gerson Msigwa, confirmed the development in a statement on X on Wednesday, June 18.
Msigwa stated that priority has been placed on clarifying and resolving immigration and consular issues.
"The Tanzanian government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has begun consultations with our US counterparts to identify areas that need improvement, particularly consular matters, to ensure Tanzania is not among the countries whose citizens may be barred from entering the U.S.," the statement issued in Swahili roughly translates.
Reports indicate that the draft list of countries being considered for travel restrictions by the US includes 26 African states as well as nations from the Caribbean, Central Asia and the Pacific Islands.
They 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.
According to the Washington Post, the decision to consider the nations for restrictions was communicated via a memo from the United States' State Department on Saturday last week, 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 reportedly did not specify when exactly the proposed travel ban and restrictions would be instituted on the countries for failing to meet the benchmarks.
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