US entry ban: Seven African countries have been banned entry to the US and three others face partial restrictions. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday night banning nationals from 12 countries from traveling to the US.

Of the 12 countries, seven are from Africa. Making the announcement, Trump said their is need to protect the US from “foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats.”

The travel ban, which will take effect at 12:01a.m. on June 9, effectively restricts the entry of nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar (also known as Burma), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

In the same vein, people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela face partial restriction. Notably, during his first term, US president Trump barred travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations from entring the US.

That policy did not hold, it was challenged in court and later President Joe Biden repealed it in 2021.

During that period, when seven Muslim-majority nations were banned entry to the US, the policy at that time went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

As pointed out, it is former President Joe Biden that repealed the ban on nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen describing it as “a stain on our national conscience.”

The executive order is part of an immigration crackdown that Trump launched this year. The move includes the deportation to El Salvador of hundreds of Venezuelans who are accused of being gang members.

The move also includes plans to deny enrollment of scores of foreign students and their deportation.

“We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm,” Trump proclaimed in a video that he posted on X.

Trump went on to declare that the targeted countries that are subject to the most severe restrictions are the ones that his administration has deemed to harbor a “large-scale presence of terrorists.”

He also said these countries have allegedly failed to cooperate on visa security, have an inability to verify travelers’ identities, inadequate record-keeping of criminal histories and high rates of visa overstays in the United States.

“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States,” Trump bellowed.

To back his declaration, Trump cited an incident that occured on Sunday in Boulder, Colorado in which a man is accused of hurling a gasoline bomb into a crowd of pro-Israel demonstrators.

In that incident, an alleged Egyptian national who was identified by the name of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was  charged. “Federal officials said Soliman had overstayed his tourist visa and had an expired work permit,” media reported. He was charged with a federal hate crime, as well as an array of state charges including those mentioned above.

As pointed out, Soliman, according to an affidavit by the US Department of Justice is an Egyptian national but more importantly he has also lived in Kuwait. However, neither of these countries, both of which the US has strong, long-term relations with, are on Trump’s list of banned countries.

So, despite his nationality, and Trump using the incident as an example that drove him to issue the executive order, Egypt is not on the list of countries banned to travel to the US.

In the same video, Trump also cautioned that, the list could be revised and new countries could be added to it.

The only leeway provided is that visas issued before that date will not be revoked, the executive order said.

The African Union’s Commission has expressed grave concern over the potential negative impact of the new travel ban. The AU said the restriction affects educational exchanges, commercial engagement and broader diplomatic relations.

On the heel of the AU statement came a retaliation by Chad’s President Idriss Deby who instructed his government to stop issuing visas to U.S. citizens. As for the DRC, Congo’s government spokesperson Thierry Moungalla described his country’s inclusion as a “misunderstanding.”

“Congo is neither a terrorist state, nor does it harbor any terrorists, or known for having any terrorist tendencies,” Moungalla told a press conference.

As for Somalia, the country immediately pledged to work with the U.S. to address it’s security issues. Dahir Hassan Abdi, the Somali ambassador to the United States, said in a statement; “Somalia values its longstanding relationship with the United States and stands ready to engage in dialogue to address the concerns raised.” 

The restrictions should not come as a surprise since Trump’s presidential campaign focused on stringent border laws aimed to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and “anywhere else that threatens our security,” he said.

On the other hand, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, responded vehemently  describing the U.S. government as fascist and even went on to warn Venezuelans against entry and living in the United States.

“The truth is being in the United States is a big risk for anybody, not just for Venezuelans … They persecute our countrymen, our people for no reason,” media quoted the minister.

On the other hand, Afghans who worked for the US during its war against the Taliban pleaded with Trump to exempt them from the travel ban. In their plea, they decried the fact that Trump’s ruling could lead them to be deported to Afghanistan; “where we will face persecution,” they cried.

Thousands of Afghans, who fled Taliban rule, following the US withdrawal in 2021, had been approved for resettlement to the US but Trump suspended that programme in January, leaving them stranded.

One rights group posted on X: “President Trump’s new travel ban is discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel. By targeting people based on their nationality, this ban only spreads disinformation and hate.”

Chad Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul told the AFP news agency that the Chadian government was “surprised” by the ban and said it “completely disregards” the country’s commitment to tackling terror.

President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno responded with a tit-for-tat: “I have instructed the government to act in accordance with the principles of reciprocity and suspend the issuance of visas to U.S. citizens.”

Itno, who came to power in a coup in 2021, ordered the withdrawal of French and US troops from the country last year.

In neigbouring Congo, authorities faulted the move, too. “We think it’s a misunderstanding,” Republic of Congo government spokesman Thierry Moungalla told a news conference, referring to the travel ban. “Congo is not a terrorist country, does not harbour any terrorists, is not known to have a terrorist inclination.”

In Iran, Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, said: “The impact of the [travel] ban will once again be felt by Americans who were denied the ability to see their loved ones at weddings, funerals, or the birth of a child.”

Tensions between Iran and the US remain high as an agreement over Iran’s nuclear program has not yet been reached, but Tehran resident Mehri Soltani offered rare support for Trump’s decision.

“Those who have family members in the U.S., it’s their right to go, but a bunch of bad people and terrorists and murderers want to go there as well,” he said.

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