Kinshasa, June 5th 2025 (CPA).- The African Union (AU) has said on Thursday that it is « concerned » about the « possible negative impact » of the ban on nationals of 12 countries, including African countries, entering the United States from Monday, according to a press release issued by this organisation. ‘The AU has called on Washington to adopt a more consultative approach and engage a constructive dialogue with the countries concerned’, it is read.
The AU has also said expressed concern about the potential negative impact of such measures on people-to-people relations, educational exchanges, trade and, more largely, the diplomatic relations carefully nurtured for decades. The decision announced by US President Donald Trump applies to Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The nationals of seven other countries are subject to visa restrictions: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The US executive, which pursues a highly restrictive anti-immigration policy, explains the presence of the countries on this list by the absence of effective administrations to monitor travellers and the tendency of nationals of certain countries to remain in the United States after their visas have expired.
‘The recent terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado (West), had highlighted the extreme dangers posed to (the United States) by the entry of foreign nationals who have not been properly screened’ and by those “who overstay their visas”, has said the US President in a video posted on X. He was referring to the attack carried out on Sunday, shouting ‘Free Palestine’ by an Egyptian who no longer had a visa, against participants in a weekly march in support of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip, which left 12 people injured.