Mali and Burkina Faso hit back with reciprocal visa bans on Americans

Mali and Burkina Faso have announced they will impose visa bans on United States citizens, directly mirroring restrictions Washington recently placed on their own nationals under President Donald Trump’s expanded travel ban.

In statements released late Tuesday, both West African governments framed the move as a matter of reciprocity, saying Americans would now face the same entry conditions their citizens encounter when trying to travel to the US.

Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said US citizens travelling to the country would be subject to “the same conditions and requirements as those imposed by the American authorities on Malian citizens entering the United States”. The ministry added that the decision was taken “as a matter of reciprocity and with immediate effect”.

Burkina Faso struck a similar tone, announcing it was applying “equivalent visa measures to citizens of the United States of America” while stressing that it “remains committed to mutual respect, the sovereign equality of States, and the principle of reciprocity in its international relations”.

The announcements follow Trump’s decision on December 16 to add seven more countries, along with holders of Palestinian Authority documents, to a list of nationalities facing full or partial restrictions on entry to the US. Burkina Faso and Mali were among the new additions, alongside other Arab and African countries.

Trump said the expanded ban was intended to advance US “foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives”.

In its justification for restricting Burkinabe nationals, the US Department of State cited findings that “terrorist organisations continue to plan and conduct terrorist activities throughout Burkina Faso”, as well as visa overstays and what it described as a history of refusing to accept deported nationals.

For Mali, the US said “armed conflict between the Malian government and armed groups is common throughout the country” and that “terrorist organisations operate freely in certain areas of Mali”.

The latest additions bring the total number of countries affected by Trump-era travel bans to 19, plus Palestine. Trump introduced similar measures during his first term in office.

Alongside Niger, which was also added to the list in mid-December, Mali and Burkina Faso have in recent years moved away from Western partners and towards closer cooperation with each other through the Alliance of Sahel States. All three are led by military governments that have expelled French and US troops while strengthening ties with Russia.

Mali has hosted Russian forces, including Wagner mercenaries and fighters from the Kremlin-linked Africa Corps, and the three Sahel states recently announced plans for a joint military battalion to combat armed groups across the region.