Upon hearing the news this week that seven African nations were included in President Trump’s latest travel ban, many Africans felt a mixture of acceptance and outrage.
Acceptance because several African countries were previously banned during Trump’s first term, including Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa.
Outrage because they were uncertain about what actions their governments could take to lift the ban, if it would result in families being separated, and how each country was chosen for the list.
“I believe this is a biased decision, made out of racism,” stated 19-year-old medical student Narciso Edjang in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, one of the seven African nations targeted in the ban announced on Wednesday night. The other countries are Chad, the Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan. The ban will be enforced starting on Monday.
Mr. Edjang had aspirations of studying medicine in the United States, where he believed the training was superior to that in Equatorial Guinea, a country abundant in oil but plagued by widespread poverty and inequality.
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