The African Union's Commission expressed concern on Thursday over the potential negative impact of the new travel ban announced by U.S.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a ban that is set to prohibit travel to the US from a dozen countries including seven in Africa, alleging security risks.

In a statement, the AU Commission said it was concerned about the “potential negative impact” of the measures.

In Africa, the Trump's order specifically prohibits people from Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan from entering the US.

An additional three African countries - Burundi, Sierra Leone and Togo - will face partial restrictions.

“The African Union Commission respectfully calls upon the U.S. Administration to consider adopting a more consultative approach and to engage in constructive dialogue with the countries concerned,” it said.

There have been fears of the travel bans since Trump’s return to the presidency in January. He had imposed a similar raft of measures during his first term from 2017 to 2021.