Mali and Burkina Faso say they are imposing travel bans on US citizens in response to an equivalent measure announced by President Donald Trump’s administration.
In separate statements issued by their foreign ministries late on Tuesday, the two West African countries said they were acting in the name of “reciprocity” after the White House announced on December 16 that Trump was adding them and five other countries to a list of those subject to a full travel ban.
The White House said the expanded ban, which took effect on Thursday, applied to “countries with demonstrated, persistent and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting and information-sharing to protect the nation from national security and public safety threats”.
Mali said on Tuesday Washington’s decision to add it to the travel ban list had been taken without prior consultation and the stated rationale was not justified by “actual developments on the ground”.
Mali and Burkina Faso are not the first countries to take such measures affecting US citizens after being targeted by Trump’s travel restrictions:
- On December 25, neighbouring Niger announced it would stop issuing visas to US citizens, the country’s state media agency reported, citing a Nigerien diplomatic source.
- In June Chad announced it was suspending visa issuance to US citizens after it was included on an earlier list of 12 countries affected by a travel ban.
Reuters
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