After the Trump administration expanded its journey ban, one of many international locations on the listing has responded in sort. The transfer to ban Americans from visiting the West African nation of Niger comes as President Donald Trump’s restrictive immigration insurance policies and aggressive navy ways draw scrutiny and condemnation.
Niger bans Americans from touring to the nation
Earlier this month, a number of countries, largely African and/or majority Muslim, had been added to the listing of countries going through full journey bans from the Trump administration. One of these nations, Niger, has introduced a reciprocal ban towards Americans visiting the nation. As described to the Nigerian Press Agency by a diplomatic source, “Niger is totally and completely prohibiting the issuance of visas to all U.S. residents and indefinitely banning entry to its territory for nationals of the United States.”
Declining U.S.-Africa relations
The tit-for-tat journey bans come amid rocky relations between the United States and numerous African international locations. Niger is the second African nation to reciprocally ban Americans this 12 months; neighboring Chad banned Americans after its residents had been banned by the U.S. in June as a part of a ban towards a dozen nations. These strikes additionally come because the United States is withdrawing diplomats from practically 30 international locations, together with Niger and a dozen different African nations. Niger has not, nevertheless, reduce off relations with the United States. Its new ambassador to the U.S. lately introduced her credentials to Trump, with the U.S. Embassy of Niamey, Niger, touting “the continued friendship and mutual respect between our two international locations, as we have fun 65 years of bilateral relations.”
Niger is coping with insurgencies, shifting worldwide alliances
Niger, which is at the moment dominated by a navy authorities that got here to energy after a 2023 coup, is at the moment going through numerous worldwide challenges. These embrace deteriorating relations with former colonial energy France, which has had its troops expelled from Niger and several other different international locations in Africa. Niger nationalized a French-controlled uranium mine within the nation earlier this 12 months, turning as an alternative to Russia for mining the uranium and for assist in combating jihadists. Niger’s navy is at the moment combating a number of Islamist teams, originating each in Niger and in neighboring Nigeria. Earlier in December, the United States performed navy strikes towards ISIS-affiliated targets in Nigeria’s Sokoto state, which borders southern Niger.
Together, these circumstances have created a turbulent time for Niger and its residents. Now that the United States has blocked these residents from touring to the U.S., Niger has responded in sort, because the nation and different African nations start to push again towards what they see as dangerous and unfair Western insurance policies.
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