In separate statements released by their foreign ministries on Tuesday, Mali and Burkina Faso announced measures targeting U.S. citizens, citing “reciprocity” following the White House’s December 16 decision to add them, along with five other countries, to a full travel ban.
The White House said the expanded restrictions, effective January 1, applied to “countries with demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing to protect the Nation from national security and public safety threats.”
Mali described Washington’s decision as taken without prior consultation and argued that the stated reasons were not supported by “actual developments on the ground.”
Mali and Burkina Faso are not the first nations to respond to U.S. travel restrictions with reciprocal measures. On December 25, Niger announced it would stop issuing visas to U.S. citizens, according to the country’s state media citing a diplomatic source. Similarly, in June, Chad suspended visa issuance to U.S. citizens after being included on an earlier list of 12 countries affected by a U.S. travel ban.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/
