Why Trump's moves are giving African leaders sleepless nights

This image posted on US President Donald Trump's Truth Social account on January 3, 2026, shows what President Trump says is Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro onboard the USS Iwo Jima after the US military captured him on January 3, 2026. [AFP]

That US President Donald Trump means his words, no matter how outlandish they may sound, is not in doubt. And now African countries he has previously mentioned have a reason to worry.

Last month Trump launched strikes in Nigeria’s Northern State of Sokoto, less than two months after his usual remarks that could have easily passed for informal social media rants about Nigeria being a “Country of Particular Concern” as he threatened a “guns-a-blazing intervention, claiming the killing and persecution of Christians by Islamic groups in the country.

Trump’s move in Venezuela that caught the world by surprise as he announced over the weekend that American troops had captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, reveals the extent to which the US under Trump is willing to go to flex it muscle in a fast changing world.

On Sunday, BBC reported that the US had indicated it would “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” can be ensured, following US strikes that led to the capture Maduro.

“The US launched strikes on Venezuela on Saturday morning in which Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, were captured by US forces and removed from the country. Venezuela announced a state of national emergency and denounced the “military aggression”, with the country’s vice president saying Maduro is its only leader,” the BBC reported.

International Agencies have also reported that Trump warned Mexico, Cuba and Colombia of facing similar action as Venezuela amid reports of narco-terrorism and drug influence.

The agencies also reported that Maduro and Flores were flown out of the capital, Caracas, on a US helicopter in the early hours of Saturday morning and taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima at an unknown location in the Caribbean Sea.

Trump has issued restrictions to citizens several African countries, including Burkina Faso, South Sudan, Mali and Niger, against entering the United States.

A supporter of ousted Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro during a demonstration in Caracas on January 4, 2026. The Venezuelan military recognized Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's VP, as acting president Sunday. [AFP]

Last month, Trump signed a proclamation expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing to protect the country from national security and public safety threats”.

According to a White House proclamation issued on December 16, the US continued the full restrictions and entry limitations of nationals from the original 12 high-risk countries established under Proclamation 10949, covering Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

Other additional countries under full restrictions and entry limitations based on recent analysis included Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.

It also added full restrictions and entry limitations on individuals holding Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents, imposed full restrictions and entry limitations on two countries that were previously subject to partial restrictions namely Laos and Sierra Leone.

Partial restrictions were also granted on nationals from four of the seven original “high-risk” countries namely Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela.

“Because Turkmenistan has engaged productively with the United States and demonstrated significant progress since the previous Proclamation, this new Proclamation lifts the ban on its nonimmigrant visas, while maintaining the suspension of entry for Turkmen nationals as immigrants,” Trump said.

Partial restrictions and entry limitations on 15 countries were granted for Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The Proclamation included exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories like athletes and diplomats, and individuals whose entry serves US national interests.

“The restrictions and limitations imposed by the Proclamation are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose, garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives,” the US stated.

Last year, Trump announced he directed a “powerful and deadly strike” against an ISIS-affiliated terrorist faction in Northwest Nigeria.

The operation, which Trump claimed targeted jihadists slaughtering “innocent Christians,” has sent shockwaves across Africa and sparked intense speculation about the next potential target of Trump’s actions.

While Nigeria and Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are now in focus because of their direct influence on the plight of Christian communities, the attack brings the issue of religious persecution closer home to East Africa.

“Radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts of Nigeria, which creates substantial screening and vetting difficulties. According to the Overstay Report, Nigeria had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 5.56 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 11.90 percent,” the US justified over Nigeria’s partial suspension.

On South Sudan, the US cited the Overstay Report, saying the country Sudan had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 6.99 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 26.09 percent.

Additionally, South Sudan was accused of historically failing to accept back its removable nationals.

Early last month, Trump said he did not want Somali immigrants in the US and that they ‘should go back to where they came from’.