US to Enforce New Travel Restrictions on 22 African Nations

Angola, Benin, Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Zimbabwe are among the African countries that may soon face travel bans or restrictions in the United States, according to a report by The New York Times.

The Trump administration is reportedly considering a sweeping set of travel restrictions that could impact citizens from 22 African nations. Some could face an outright ban, while others might be given a deadline to address “security concerns.”

A draft list circulating within the administration categorises the affected countries into three groups—red, orange, and yellow—each with varying levels of restrictions.

Red List: Countries on this list would be completely barred from entering the United States. Three African nations—Libya, Somalia, and Sudan—are included, alongside North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba, and others.
Orange List: These countries wouldn’t face a full ban but would see strict visa restrictions. Eritrea, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan are listed alongside Belarus, Pakistan, Russia, and four others. Citizens from these nations may need to undergo in-person interviews and could be barred from obtaining certain visas, such as immigrant or tourist visas.
Yellow List: This includes 16 African countries whose citizens will have 60 days to address US concerns or risk being moved into a stricter category. These countries are Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Chad, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Zimbabwe.

The proposed restrictions follow President Donald Trump’s executive order on 20 January, which called for tighter security vetting of foreigners entering the US. According to The New York Times, these measures are still under review, and the final list may change before reaching the White House.