The United States government, led by President Donald Trump, is preparing to impose a travel ban on Nigeria and 35 other countries.
A report by The Washington Post revealed that an internal memo, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, outlines the proposal.
The memo indicates that the affected countries must meet new requirements set by the US State Department within 60 days or face travel restrictions.
President Trump is reportedly targeting mostly African countries, citing security and documentation concerns.
According to the memo, many of the countries on the list are considered non-compliant with US expectations.
“Some countries had ‘no competent or cooperative central government authority to produce reliable identity documents or other civil documents,’ or they suffered from widespread government fraud.”
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In addition to meeting documentation standards, each country is expected to submit an initial plan of action to the State Department by Wednesday.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has considered such measures.
Back in March, the US considered a similar ban targeting 43 countries. Nigeria was not included in that earlier list.
That list categorized countries into three groups: red (total ban), orange (restricted visas), and yellow (60-day warning).
The new list, however, broadens the scope significantly and includes countries from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
Countries listed for possible travel ban:
Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia.
Asia: Bhutan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Syria.
Pacific: Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
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