Travel to the United States: Benin among the 25 African countries potentially targeted by new restrictions
Washington is considering expanding its blacklist of countries subjected to travel restrictions for national security reasons. Benin is among the 25 African countries targeted.
According to an internal note consulted by the Washington Post and Reuters, and relayed by RFI, the United States is considering strengthening its migration policy by adding new countries to the list of those whose nationals may be prohibited from entering American territory.
This initiative follows recurring concerns about security, management of identities, and compliance with stay regulations. The grievances against the targeted countries include the unreliability of national identity documents; excessive administrative fraud; and non-compliance with the lengths of stay authorized for a large number of nationals.
In addition to Benin, this list notably includes Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Ethiopia, for a total of 25 African countries.
The American authorities reportedly gave the concerned countries a two-month deadline to meet the imposed security requirements. This grace period aims to allow a revision or improvement of national systems of identification and migration control.
A possible extension of these restrictions could have a significant impact on economic exchanges, bilateral relations, the mobility of students, professionals, and even family trips.
The situation is being closely monitored in Cotonou, where diplomatic efforts could be undertaken to avoid Benin’s inclusion in the final list of countries allowed in the USA.
Comments