Mali and Burkina Faso have announced an immediate ban on U.S. nationals entering their territories, invoking the principle of reciprocity after President Donald Trump expanded U.S. visa restrictions to include both countries. The decisions were announced in separate statements by the two governments’ foreign ministries, marking a further deterioration in already strained relations between Washington and military-led governments in the central Sahel.

Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country would apply “the same conditions and requirements” to U.S. citizens as those imposed on Malian nationals by the United States, with immediate effect. Burkina Faso’s foreign minister issued a parallel statement citing identical grounds for the ban.

U.S. Visa Expansion

The retaliatory measures follow Washington’s decision on December 16 to expand earlier travel restrictions to 20 additional countries, including Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. U.S. officials said the move was necessary because the United States lacked sufficient information to assess security risks posed by some foreign nationals seeking entry.

The White House also pointed to persistent attacks by armed groups in the Sahel as a contributing factor behind the expanded restrictions. All three countries are currently governed by military authorities and have distanced themselves from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), forming a separate regional bloc.

Security and Political Context

Mali and Burkina Faso have struggled to contain armed groups operating across large swaths of their territory despite years of counterinsurgency operations. Military leaders in both countries justified their seizures of power by citing failures of civilian governments to stem insecurity.

Since taking power, the two governments have reoriented their foreign policies, cooling ties with Western partners while emphasizing sovereignty and reciprocal treatment in diplomatic relations. The travel bans underline this posture and signal resistance to external pressure from Washington.

Deepening Diplomatic Rift

The reciprocal bans add to a series of confrontations between the United States and Sahelian military governments over sanctions, travel restrictions, and security cooperation. Analysts say the dispute reflects a broader realignment underway in West Africa, where several states are pushing back against Western policy tools while asserting greater autonomy in foreign and security affairs.

For now, neither Mali nor Burkina Faso has indicated how long the ban on U.S. nationals will remain in place, leaving the dispute open-ended as relations continue to cool.