Sopuruchi Onwuka
Travelers from Nigeria and 44 other countries would now be required to obtain transit visa before passing through the South American state of Ecuador as most countries begin to tighten immigration controls.
According to Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, the measure aims to enhance transit regulations and address growing security concerns related to irregular migration.
This policy change will particularly affect travelers making international stopovers in Ecuador en route to destinations across the American continent.
Ecuador’s role as a key transit hub to the EU and U.S. means the new rule will disrupt travel, raise costs, and alter routes for many from Africa and the Global South.
According to the new changes announced by Ecuador, citizens of 45 nations 34 of which are African countries would cease to enjoy the visa-free transit privileges.
With 34 of its countries in the list of nations stripped on visa free passage, diplomats suggest that the Ecuadorian government may have decided to curb flow of African migrants that pass through the country to the United States and Canada.
Consequently, most African travelers that fail to get transit visa might not take routes that entail a brief stop in Ecuador as visa-free transit privileges are no longer available for citizens of the mainly poor countries which have been listed under the new directive on immigration control.
Therefore, travelers from the affected countries would now require a Transit Visa (Visa de Transeúnte) to transit through Ecuadorian airports, regardless of whether they remain within the international zone.
Previously, citizens of these countries could transit without a visa if they stayed within the international transit area without clearing immigration or customs.
Out of the 45 nations affected by the new Ecuadorian visa requirement, 34 are African, including Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea.
Also included in the countries stripped of free passage are Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Senegal, Togo, Benin, Mali and Niger.
Also listed are Burkina Faso, Chad, Central African Republic, Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and South Sudan.
With Ecuador serving as a common transit point to the global north, particularly EU, Canada and the US, the new rule is expected to raise travel costs, and force travelers and to change their flight routes.
The move by Ecuador resonates with similar immigration policies by the United States which has banned mainly African, Arab and South Asian nations from visiting. The Trump administration has also announced plan to widen travel bans to include more African countries and Nigeria in particular.
