The African Union has voiced significant concern regarding a sweeping travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump on citizens from seven African nations. This directive, announced on a Wednesday in early June 2025 and set to take effect on Monday, June 9, affects Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan, whose citizens will be barred from entering the United States. Additionally, Burundi, Sierra Leone, and Togo are among seven other nations facing partial travel restrictions. The African Union warned that these measures risk undermining decades of carefully cultivated diplomatic and commercial relationships between the U.S. and the African continent.

In a formal statement released on Thursday, the African Union, which represents all 55 African nations, expressed its continued apprehension about the "potential negative impact of such measures on people-to-people ties, educational exchange, commercial engagement, and the broader diplomatic relations." The AU urged Washington to "consider adopting a more consultative approach and to engage in constructive dialogue with the countries concerned," while also appealing for "transparent communication" to address the underlying issues motivating the ban.

The Trump administration defended the inclusion of each country on the list within a presidential proclamation. Justifications cited include visa overstays for Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo, and terrorism concerns for Somalia and Libya. In a video message on his Truth Social platform, President Trump stated that an analysis of "high-risk regions" revealed "the large-scale presence of terrorists, failure to cooperate on visa security, inability to verify travellers' identities, inadequate record keeping of criminal histories and persistently high rates of illegal visa overstays." He explicitly linked the decision to a recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, which he claimed "underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas."

Somali authorities responded to the ban, with Dahir Hassan Abdi, the Somali ambassador to the United States, stating that "Somalia values its longstanding relationship with the United States and stands ready to engage in dialogue to address the concerns raised," especially after the US described Somalia as a "terrorist safe haven." However, residents in Mogadishu expressed dismay. Salad Abdullahi Mohamed told France's AFP news agency, "I totally disagree with the president of the United States' decision. Somali immigrants reached there after a long hazardous trip to get a better life." Another resident, Ali Abdullahi Ali, argued that Somali migrants sought "to make a better living and help their parents," and called on President Trump to nullify the decision.

This travel ban marks another point of tension in US-Africa relations during Trump's second administration. During his first term, Trump introduced similar travel restrictions, which he described as "one of our most successful policies" in preventing terror attacks on US soil. More recently, in early 2025, his administration imposed significant tariffs on numerous African countries under a "Liberation Day" trade overhaul, with nations like Lesotho (50%), Madagascar (47%), and Mauritius (40%) initially facing steep duties, later temporarily reduced to a 10% universal levy pending further negotiations. Relations were also strained in May when Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House with theories about a "white genocide" in South Africa.

Despite these tensions, the African Union's statement underscored the "mutual interests in promoting peace, prosperity, and global cooperation" shared by Africa and the United States. While acknowledging "the sovereign right of all nations to protect their borders and ensure the security of their citizens," the AU appealed to the US to "exercise this right in a manner that is balanced, evidence-based, and reflective of the long-standing partnership between the United States and Africa." President Trump indicated that the severity of the restrictions is linked to the "severity of the threat posed" and that the list of banned countries could be revised if targeted nations demonstrate "material improvements."