By Abiola Olawale
The administration of United States President Donald Trump is reportedly contemplating a sweeping travel ban that could affect citizens from 43 countries.
Notably, Nigeria has been reportedly excluded from the proposed list.
In a report on Saturday, Reuters cited an internal memo and officials familiar with the matter.
The memo reportedly lists a total of 43 countries divided into three groups: red, orange, and yellow.
According to the report, the draft proposal under consideration includes nations flagged for perceived security risks or insufficient cooperation with US vetting processes.
The exclusion of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, from the reported list stands out given its previous inclusion in travel restrictions enacted in 2020, which were later rescinded by the administration of the immediate past US President Joe Biden in 2021.
Meanwhile, a breakdown of the report shows that the red group reportedly consists of 11 countries- Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Cuba, Bhutan, Venezuela, North Korea, Yemen, and Somalia- whose nationals would be barred from entering the US.
The orange group reportedly comprises 10 countries whose visas would be sharply restricted. They include Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Pakistan, Laos, Turkmenistan, Haiti, and Eritrea.
The countries in the last group were given 60 days to address concerns.
The nations on the purported yellow list include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe.
The New Diplomat reports that this development comes amidst heavy sanctions that Trump has imposed on other countries since his second inauguration as US President.
