The United States will no longer allow Dares Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Christian Makonda into the country.
According to the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Donald Trump led administration is concerned about Makonda’s involvement in violation of human rights in Tanzania.
Secretary Pompeo further expressed his concern about the extent of human rights violation and rule of law by the East African country.
“Today we designated Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Christian Makonda as ineligible to enter the U.S. for his involvement in gross violations of #humanrights. We are deeply concerned over deteriorating respect for human rights and rule of law in #Tanzania,” Pompeo tweeted.
Today we designated Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Christian Makonda as ineligible to enter the U.S. for his involvement in gross violations of #humanrights. We are deeply concerned over deteriorating respect for human rights and rule of law in #Tanzania.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 31, 2020
In October 2018, Makonda announced the launch of a surveillance team rounding up gay people. The government however distanced itself from the sentiments noting that they were “personal views.”
On Friday, the US issued a travel ban against Tanzania and five other countries but not with strict restrictions.
In a proclamation set to be signed on Friday by President Trump, citizens of Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania will be allowed into the US but will not be able to settle permanently.
Further, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Eritrea, and Nigeria nationals will not be able to obtain visas allowing them to move to the US for good.
Rather, these immigrants will be allowed into the US on temporary visas such as those for students, foreign workers and tourists.
The aforementioned states are expected to meet the US’s standards for information-sharing and security, Vox reports.
These requirements include them start issuing electronic passports and sharing information with security agencies and Interpol that will help identify terrorists and criminals.
In 2017, Trump issued a travel ban against Muslim-majority countries Iran, Syria, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia, as well as North Korea and Venezuela.
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