Mali and Burkina Faso announce reciprocal travel ban on US

BAMAKO: Mali and Burkina Faso have said they are imposing a travel ban on U.S. citizens in response to an equivalent measure announced by the Trump administration earlier this month.

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 U.S. President Donald 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, set to take effect on January 1, 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 that Washington’s decision to add it to the travel ban list had been taken without prior consultation and that 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 U.S. citizens after being targeted by Trump’s travel restrictions.

On December 25 neighbouring Niger announced it would stop issuing visas to U.S. citizens, the country’s state media agency reported, citing a Nigerien diplomatic source.

In June, Chad announced it was suspending visa issuance to U.S. citizens after it was included on an earlier list of 12 countries affected by a travel ban.