Mali and Burkina Faso impose retaliatory travel ban on US nationals
ABC News••nation
Key Points:
- Mali and Burkina Faso announced bans on U.S. citizens entering their countries in retaliation for the U.S. travel restrictions on their nationals.
- The bans followed U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to expand travel restrictions to include Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, citing security concerns related to armed groups.
- Both West African countries are governed by military juntas that have broken away from the regional bloc ECOWAS and are facing significant security challenges from armed groups.
- Mali and Burkina Faso's foreign ministries emphasized the principle of reciprocity in their decisions to impose similar entry restrictions on U.S. nationals.
- The travel bans highlight escalating tensions between the West African military governments and the United States amid ongoing regional instability.
