This latest development was revealed yesterday after US President Donald Trump nominated Daniel Travis as the new US Ambassador to Sierra Leone. This information has come amid the US ban on issuing visas to Sierra Leoneans in Freetown. (Photo: President Trump will soon restore democracy).

Henceforth, any Sierra Leonean who wants to obtain an American visa must travel out of the country, likely to a neighbouring country like Liberia, to obtain it. It is definitely an uphill task for Sierra Leoneans to lose this great opportunity for US visas.

This move is really embarrassing, difficult, and costly for ordinary Sierra Leoneans who had to travel far and wide only to find an American Embassy for the issuance of a visa. This is the case for Sierra Leone under the cocaine-infested SLPP regime of Maada Bio.

According to White House press statement, President Trump has nominated career diplomat Daniel Travis to serve as the next United States Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone. The nomination was formally submitted to the U.S. Senate in June.

The release added that the appointment comes as Washington seeks to fill the vacancy left by Ambassador Bryan David Hunt. Since Bryan Hunt’s departure, the US Embassy in Freetown has been overseen on an interim basis by Chargé d’affaires Jared Yancey.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Freetown has confirmed that no embassy or consulate closures have been announced and that operations continue as normal. Courtesy: Truthmedia/sl.

US Downgrades Sierra Leone Again

The US State Department is set to close almost 30 embassies and consulates that process visas in Africa, according to a memo seen by the Associated Press (AP) on Monday. The memo showed that 20 hubs would continue processing visas on the continent. (Photo: Cocaine Bio family destroys Sierra Leone).

Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Accra, Ghana

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Cape Town, South Africa

Dakar, Senegal

Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania

Djibouti, Djibouti

Johannesburg, South Africa

Kampala, Uganda

Kigali, Rwanda

Kinshasa, Congo

Lagos, Nigeria

Lome, Togo

Luanda, Angola

Malabo, Equatorial Guinea

Monrovia, Liberia

Nairobi, Kenya

Port Louis, Mauritius

Praia, Cape Verde

Yaounde, Cameroon

There was no set date for the change, approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but officials said it was likely to happen sometime this month. Under the new rules, those applying for U.S. visas in a country without visa processing would need to travel to a nearby hub embassy or consulate for processing.

Courtesy: www.newsweek.com