Mali and Burkina Faso have announced reciprocal restrictions on U.S. citizens. They are saying Americans will no longer be allowed to enter their countries following a recent U.S. travel ban targeting their nationals.
The decision, confirmed late Tuesday in separate government statements, deepens the strain between the United States and a group of West African states now led by military governments. Both countries framed the move as a direct response to actions taken by the U.S. under President Donald Trump.
Earlier this month, Trump expanded an existing travel ban to cover 20 additional countries. The list included Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, all of which are governed by juntas that have withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States and formed a new regional alliance.
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Mali’s Foreign Ministry said the country would immediately apply the same restrictions imposed by the United States. “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 the same conditions and requirements to US nationals as those imposed on Malian citizens,” the statement said.
Burkina Faso followed with a similar announcement. In a statement signed by Foreign Affairs Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, the government said it would also bar American nationals from entering the country, citing the same justification.
The White House has pointed to ongoing security concerns as a basis for the expanded travel ban, noting the persistent threat posed by armed groups operating across parts of the Sahel. Both Mali and Burkina Faso continue to face violent insurgencies that have spread rapidly in recent years.
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Military leaders in the two countries seized power after overthrowing civilian governments, arguing that previous administrations failed to stem the violence. Since then, the juntas have pledged to restore security while reshaping foreign relations, a shift that has increasingly placed them at odds with Western governments.
