Mali, Burkina Faso Impose Travel Ban On US Citizens In Retaliation Against Trump’s Policy

In a significant escalation of diplomatic tensions, the military-led governments of Mali and Burkina Faso have announced a reciprocal travel ban on United States nationals. The move comes as a direct response to President Donald Trump’s expanded travel ban, which recently placed both West African nations on a no-entry list.  

The decision by Bamako and Ouagadougou follows a similar move by neighboring Niger earlier this week, signaling a unified front among the three states that comprise the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). All three nations are currently governed by military juntas that have increasingly distanced themselves from Western powers in favor of closer ties with Russia.  

Burkina Faso’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, stated that the government was acting on the “principle of reciprocity.” Mali’s foreign ministry echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the necessity for “mutual respect and sovereign equality” between nations. The Malian government also expressed disappointment that such a consequential decision by the U.S. was made without any prior diplomatic consultation.  

The Trump administration’s decision to restrict entry from 19 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East—including Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad—was defended as a vital national security measure. The policy shift was accelerated following an attack on National Guard members in Washington in late 2024, for which an Afghan national was arrested.  

Under the new U.S. policy:

• Immigration Suspended: The processing of all immigration applications from the 19 affected countries has been paused indefinitely.  

• Enhanced Vetting: All applicants from these regions must undergo a “comprehensive vetting process” that the administration has yet to define in terms of duration.

• Broad Restrictions: Countries facing the most severe “full entry” bans now include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.  

This diplomatic fallout occurs against the backdrop of President Trump’s recent “Thanksgiving message,” in which he called for an immediate and permanent halt to immigration from what he categorized as “all Third World Countries.”  

For the Sahelian states, these travel restrictions mark a low point in relations with Washington. Having already expelled French and European forces, the military rulers of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger appear increasingly willing to engage in “tit-for-tat” diplomacy to assert their sovereignty on the global stage