Burkina Faso and Mali have announced travel restrictions on United States nationals in a reciprocal response after Washington included the two West African nations on a newly expanded US travel ban list.
The decision follows an announcement earlier this month by US President Donald Trump, who broadened immigration restrictions by barring entry for citizens from seven additional countries. Trump, who has long championed strict immigration controls, said the measures were aimed at preventing foreigners who “intend to threaten” Americans from entering the United States.
The expanded list includes Syrian citizens, Palestinian Authority passport holders, and nationals from some of Africa’s poorest countries, among them Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan. With the latest additions, nearly 40 countries now face varying degrees of restrictions based solely on nationality.
In separate statements issued by their foreign ministries and seen Wednesday by AFP, Burkina Faso and Mali said they would impose equivalent measures on American citizens.
Burkina Faso’s foreign ministry said it would apply “equivalent visa measures” to US nationals seeking entry into the country.
Mali, meanwhile, said it was implementing the restrictions “with immediate effect,” applying “the same conditions and requirements on American nationals that the American authorities have imposed on Malian citizens entering the United States.”
The Malian government also expressed regret over Washington’s move, saying the decision was made “without the slightest prior consultation.”
The two Sahelian nations, both governed by military juntas, are members of a regional confederation formed in 2023, alongside Niger. The alliance was created amid growing security challenges linked to jihadist insurgencies in the region.
In recent years, the leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have adopted a strong sovereignty-focused agenda, withdrawing from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, distancing themselves from former colonial power France, and strengthening ties with Russia. Despite this shift, the countries have largely maintained cordial relations with the United States.
Niger has not officially announced counter-measures to the US travel ban, but the country’s state news agency, citing a diplomatic source, reported last week that retaliatory steps had been approved.
Trump’s December 17 announcement also imposed partial travel restrictions on citizens of other African nations, including Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Senegal — countries that have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
While the Trump administration has pledged to allow athletes to enter the US for the tournament, it has not made similar assurances for football fans from countries affected by the restrictions.
In a related development, Burkina Faso said in October that it had refused to accept migrants deported from the United States, openly rejecting one of Trump’s signature immigration policies. At the time, Burkina Faso’s Foreign Affairs Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré described the proposal as “indecent.”
Since returning to the White House in January, the Trump administration has intensified its immigration crackdown, including deporting migrants to third countries — often nations with which the individuals have no direct ties.
