Trump ban 'a test' for African unity

Source: BBC - January 30, 2017

Protests have intensified against President Trump's temporary ban on travellers coming into the US from a group of mainly-Muslim countries.
Mr Trump has accused the media of misrepresenting the new rules as a ban on Muslims.
So how has this affected those on the continent hoping to settle in the United States? Particularly those of Somali origin?
Fauzia Mohamud, a Somali refugee living in Kenya, says the US travel ban has crushed all her hopes:

We are a large family, mainly made up of women. Some are here in Nairobi while others are in Dadaab refugee camp.

I’m an urban refugee here in Nairobi while my sister is registered as a refugee in Dadaab.

The ban has affected us so much. We are so worried that we are not even eating. We don’t know what to do. It has crushed all our hopes.

It has changed our lives. We have been here for 27 years. Our country is not safe so we thought we would get safety and security in the US. Its unfortunate that the US is doing this to us while our country is not safe.

I was hoping that I would be resettled in the US this year. I was informed that the US has accepted our resettlement request. I’ve gone through almost the whole process so I was expecting that I would be resettled in the next few months.

I’ve been a refugee for 27 years but I began the refugee resettlement process three years ago.

If it’s just a matter of vetting, its okay. But what we don’t want is discrimination. But we are disappointed that the president said he rejected all Somalis and that he discriminates against Somalis.

We began by registering with UNHCR. There are two departments of the UNHCR: Protection and resettlement. Our case was first handled by the protection department. Then we were sent to the resettlement then back to protection again. The UNHCR then accepted our case, we were sent for the vetting process. All of this took us 3 years. But as refugees we have lived here for more than 20 years.

Of the seven countries banned I think Somalis are the worst-hit because our country is in trouble and we are discriminated against in many places. So we thought the US was the only country that would give us refuge, give us an opportunity to work and build our lives. But unfortunately this is what the president has done.

I’m so disappointed. I don’t think I’ll go to the US since the president says he doesn’t want refugees.

I don’t think I’ll return to Somalia because there is no security there. Just last week there was this blast that killed many people. I don’t think it’s safe, I fear for my life and if I go back from Kenya I’ll be targeted by the terrorists. There’s no place we are safe. There is nowhere we are safe. Even America knows the challenges faced by the refugees who were repatriated to [Somalia's port city of Kismayo]. Some were killed! Others went back to the Dadaab refugee camp."