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US Travel Ban: Sudan, Somali government lambast President Trump

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10 years ago

March 8, 2017

Somalians and Sudanese on Tuesday lambasted the American following recent travel ban on some countries.

The new US travel ban passed by President Donald Trump on Monday, in the new Executive order placing a 90-day ban on people from six mainly Muslim nations, has been criticized by people from different nations including the United Nations.

Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who is a dual US-Somali citizen, has expressed his concern over the new ban saying that an estimated 150,000 Somalis in the US “have contributed to the US economy and the US society in different ways.

He stressed that American government should talk about what the Somali people have contributed rather than a few people who may cause a problem.

It was gathered that the order was presented as a means to strengthen US national security against terror threats.

Sudan and Somalia, predominantly moslem countries said the move was “unjustified” as the directive, includes a 120-day ban on all refugees, takes effect on 16 March.

The present order is coming on the heels of earlier executive order which was blocked by a federal court, that sparked confusion at airports and mass protests across the country.

The present order restrict citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, which it was learnt, were “six of the countries on the original 27 January order, are to be subjected to a 90-day travel ban.”

Iraq, it was gathered, has been taken off the list because its government has boosted visa screening and data sharing, it was learnt.

John Kelly, Department of Homeland Security Secretary said on Monday that “The fact remains that we are not immune to terrorist threats and that our enemies often use our own freedoms and generosity against us.”

Mohamed reiterated that it was critical that Somalia continue to work to defeat the Islamist militant group al-Shabab.

On his part, Sudan’s ministry of foreign affairs, expressed “deep regret and discontent” that a new ban was issued.

“Sudanese citizens have never been involved in any crimes or terrorism in the United States,” the ministry stated.

The order also leads to a cut in the number of refugees the US has agreed to take in under a resettlement programme – from 110,000 this year to 50,000, a move criticised by the United Nations refugee agency.