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Two West African Nations have issued a simultaneous ban on American citizens in a tit-for-tat diplomatic measure, amid tensions with both the United States and Europe, and as Russia seeks to increase its economic and geopolitical influence in the region.
Dozens of members of Wagner’s forces were massacred in Mali following an ambush by Tuareg rebels on July 27, 2024. (East2West)
Mali and Burkina Faso made the move in response to the Trump administration’s Dec. 16 expansion of travel restrictions to more than 20 countries. The policy particularly affected the African continent, where Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Niger, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan were also subject to travel restrictions.
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The Trump administration cited the persistence of armed attacks in both nations as part of the rationale for its decision:
“According to the Department of State, terrorist organizations continue to plan and carry out terrorist activities throughout Burkina Faso. According to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) fiscal year 2024 entry/exit overstay report (“Overstay Report”), Burkina Faso had an overstay rate for B-1/B-2 visas of 9.16 percent and an overstay rate for student (F), vocational visas (M) and exchange visitor (J) of 22.95. Furthermore, Burkina Faso has historically refused to accept its deportable nationals.”
Regarding your decision to include Mali On the list, it said:
“According to the State Department, armed conflict between the Malian government and armed groups is common throughout the country. Terrorist organizations operate freely in certain areas of Mali.”
Burkina Faso and Mali are currently governed by military junta that came to power amid increasing violence and instability, as both nations were attacked by Islamist terrorist groups.
A mural is seen on March 1, 2023, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 civilians, including babies and many children, in attacks on two villages accused of cooperating with militants, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo, file)
Both nations have also seen a rise in anti-French sentiment, along with deepening relations with Russia, which has pledged to offer assistance to fight Islamist rebels fighting central governments for territorial control.
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“In accordance with the principle of reciprocity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation informs the national and international community that, with immediate effect, the Government of the Republic of Mali will apply to US nationals the same conditions and requirements as those imposed on Malian citizens,” the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
Malian soldiers check a vehicle in the garrison town of Kati, Mali, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. Malian soldiers took up arms and began detaining senior military officers in an apparent mutiny, raising fears of a possible coup after several months of anti-government demonstrations calling for the president’s resignation. (AP Photo/Mohamed Salaha)
The government of Burkina Faso cited a similar justification for issuing its ban on American travelers.
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Both nations, as well as neighboring Niger and Nigeria, have seen violence soar in recent years, as chronically underfunded governments struggle to retain control of sparsely populated rural and desert regions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
