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Trump expands travel ban to five African countries
(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump has widened an existing travel ban to block entry for citizens of five additional African countries, according to an official decree released by the US administration.
The newly announced measures, unveiled on Tuesday and scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, impose a complete suspension of entry for nationals of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Sierra Leone. These countries are being added to an existing list of nations already facing full restrictions, which includes Chad, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan.
Explaining the decision, Trump stated that “Foreign nationals from countries named in this proclamation have been involved with crimes that include murder, terrorism, embezzling public funds, human smuggling, human trafficking, and other criminal activity.”
For Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, the US president pointed to the presence and activity of terrorist organizations operating across the Sahel region. Burkina Faso was also singled out for “historically” refusing to accept individuals deported from the United States.
Sierra Leone, which had previously faced only limited entry restrictions, has now been subjected to a full ban after authorities concluded it “has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals,” with South Sudan cited for similar reasons.
In addition to the full bans, the executive order introduces partial travel restrictions on 15 countries, including Nigeria and 11 other African states.
Trump said Nigeria presents “substantial screening and vetting difficulties” because “radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts” of the country.
The newly announced measures, unveiled on Tuesday and scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, impose a complete suspension of entry for nationals of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Sierra Leone. These countries are being added to an existing list of nations already facing full restrictions, which includes Chad, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan.
Explaining the decision, Trump stated that “Foreign nationals from countries named in this proclamation have been involved with crimes that include murder, terrorism, embezzling public funds, human smuggling, human trafficking, and other criminal activity.”
For Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, the US president pointed to the presence and activity of terrorist organizations operating across the Sahel region. Burkina Faso was also singled out for “historically” refusing to accept individuals deported from the United States.
Sierra Leone, which had previously faced only limited entry restrictions, has now been subjected to a full ban after authorities concluded it “has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals,” with South Sudan cited for similar reasons.
In addition to the full bans, the executive order introduces partial travel restrictions on 15 countries, including Nigeria and 11 other African states.
Trump said Nigeria presents “substantial screening and vetting difficulties” because “radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts” of the country.
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