Trump’s expanded travel ban hits Africa the hardest but reactions are muted

President Donald Trump talks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., after attending a casualty return at Dover Air Foce Base.

HARARE, Zimbabwe — Africa has been the hardest hit by the Trump administration’s decision to add 20 countries to a list of travel restrictions but reactions on the continent of some 1.5 billion people were largely muted on Wednesday as affected nations mulled the implications of the measure and their next moves.

The new restrictions expand on the list from June and are broader and more punitive than those during Trump’s first presidency, which largely targeted Muslim-majority countries and which were reversed in 2021.

The African Union urged the United States to protect its borders in “a manner that is balanced, evidence-based, and reflective of the long-standing ties and partnership” between the U.S. and Africa, the bloc’s spokesman Nuur Mohamu said.

The stance was a repeat of the statement by the bloc in June, when U.S. President Donald Trump revived the travel restrictions from his first term in office.

The expanded ban

Of the five countries whose citizens joined the list on Tuesday of those banned from entering the United States, four are in Africa — Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and South Sudan, which was already facing significant travel restrictions. Also on the list are Syria and people with travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank.

Some other countries — including Sierra Leone in Africa and Laos in Asia — were subject to partial restrictions during Trump’s first presidency and also in June, and were now moved to the full restrictions list.

Twelve of the 15 countries that face partial restrictions are also in Africa. They include Angola, Benin, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The rest are two Caribbean nations — Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica — and Tonga in the South Pacific.

Trump’s expanded measures also link entry limits to security, documentation and visa-overstay concerns.

The 55-nation African Union warned of the “potential negative impact of such measures on people-to-people ties, educational exchanges, commercial engagement, and the broader diplomatic relations” built over decades.

Sierra Leone, now moved to the full ban list, said in a statement Wednesday that it hoped to engage Washington and get it to review the decision. The impoverished West African country said it would “remain committed to strengthening international cooperation and addressing immigration concerns raised by the U.S. government,” adding that officials are “actively engaged in ongoing, constructive dialogue with U.S authorities.”

In Mali, which was added to the full ban list on Tuesday, foreign ministry press officer Samuel Saye said it was “too early for us to comment” — something many other officials across Africa echoed.

An unfair measure, many say

Several analysts and activists described the measures as unfair, a sign of incoherent U.S.–Africa relations and an opportunity for Washington’s rivals such as Russia and China to further entrench ties with Africa.

Some ordinary citizens expressed their unease and concerns.

“I believe this position is unfair because it paints all Nigerians with the same brush,” said Ramlah Ibrahim Nok, a business lawyer in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. Nigeria is on the list of partial restrictions.

Many Nigerians travel for “education, business and tourism,” she said and added that authorities in her own country should also do their part in confronting issues such as visa overstays by Nigerians who travel to the U.S.

Beverly Ochieng, an analyst at Control Risks Group in Dakar, Senegal’s capital, predicted that Trump’s ban will likely make relations between the U.S. and various African countries “incoherent, unpredictable and challenging.”

The measure also reduces prospects for cooperation and may push some governments to look elsewhere to build strong partnerships.

“It’s very unfortunate,” said Mohamed Keita, a 45-year-old Malian resident, adding that Washington’s “decision may penalize Malians who do business with the United States.”

Also in Mali, Abdoulaye Fofana, 31, said he feared retaliation if Malian authorities “apply the principle of reciprocity, it is the bi-national Malians who will be affected.”

Bad timing

Sports enthusiasts are also worried, especially those hoping to travel to the 2026 soccer World Cup matches in the U.S., which is co-hosting the competition with Canada and Mexico.

Pape Seye, a taxi driver in Dakar, said he heard of “FIFA exemptions for the players and staff of the qualified teams” but was concerned whether “fans will be able to go as well” under the new measure.

In South Sudan, which was added to the full ban list, human rights activist Rajab Mohandis said the measure is “an open expression of increasing frustration of the Trump administration with the government” in the African country.

He added that the ban is “a way of invoking diplomatic consequences” following U.S. concerns over the slow implementation of a peace agreement signed in 2018 to end five years of conflict in South Sudan that left more than 400,000 people dead.

Associated Press writers from across Africa contributed to this report.

Farai Mutsaka, The Associated Press