Some African countries restrict US citizen travel to their territories

US Visa Bans Impose Retaliation on Mali and Burkina Faso

The governments of Mali and Burkina Faso have announced that they will impose full visa bans on United States citizens with immediate effect. This decision follows a recent ban imposed by the US government on visas for citizens of these two West African countries.

According to official statements, the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation cited reciprocity as the reason for the ban. Similarly, Burkina Faso’s foreign minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore, stated that his country’s visa ban was also based on a principle of reciprocity.

The US government had previously imposed full visa bans on citizens of five additional countries: Laos, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Syria. The ban also applies to travelers holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority.

The US government cited national security concerns as the basis for the ban, citing poor screening and vetting capabilities, information-sharing policies, visa overstay rates, and refusal to take back deported nationals in its decision-making process.

Mali, Burkina Faso, and neighboring Niger have been affected by violence from armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) in recent years. The countries have also formed the Alliance of Sahel States to tackle security problems and improve trade relations.

The US government has imposed visa bans on citizens of 39 countries, with 26 being African nations. This move follows a shift away from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade program, which provided duty-free access to US markets for African nations.

Source: Al Jazeera