By Adekunle Agbetiloye
Business Insider Africa
The
Trump administration has suspended visa processing for visitors from
75 countries.
The
Trump administration has suspended visa processing for visitors from
75 countries, effective January 21.
Somalia,
Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Brazil, Nigeria and Thailand are among the
nations affected, Fox News reported, citing a U.S. State Department
memo.
The
reported pause comes as Republican President Donald Trump continues a
broad immigration crackdown that has been central to his agenda since
taking office last January.
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Shrinking
U.S.–Africa ties
In
November, Trump pledged to “permanently pause” migration from
what he described as “Third World countries” after a shooting
near the White House by an Afghan national that killed a National
Guard member.
A
month later, Business Insider Africa reported that the Trump
administration had begun recalling U.S. ambassadors from Nigeria,
Uganda and 13 other African nations, marking one of the most sweeping
diplomatic shake-ups since Trump returned to office.
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The
Associated Press said Africa was the region
hardest hit
by the recalls, with envoys to Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon,
Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal,
Somalia and Uganda removed, along with those posted to Algeria and
Egypt.
The
moves come amid a turbulent year for U.S.–Africa relations,
characterised by sharp shifts in policy on aid, immigration and
diplomatic engagement.
In
response, some African countries, including Mali,
Burkina Faso, Niger and Malawi,
have
introduced reciprocal measures against Western passport holders
following sudden changes to visa regimes.