Two countries have taken action in response to their inclusion in Donald Trump’s expanding travel ban list.
President Trump has been stringent about regulating who can enter the United States, and recently, he declared that additional countries would be subjected to full or partial travel bans. This brings the total number of affected countries to 39.
The travel ban imposes visa restrictions on nationals from specific countries. The countries facing full travel bans include Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Laos, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.
Partial travel bans will be imposed on Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
These restrictions are set to commence on January 1, 2026.
The White House commented on the restrictions implemented by Trump, stating: “It is the president’s duty to take action to ensure that those seeking to enter our country will not harm the American people.”
In response to the travel bans, Mali and Burkina Faso have decided to restrict American entry into their countries.
Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement, according to The Guardian: “In accordance with the principle of reciprocity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation informs the national and international community that, with immediate effect, the Government of the Republic of Mali will apply the same conditions and requirements to US nationals as those imposed on Malian citizens.”
Similarly, Burkina Faso’s foreign affairs minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, stated that their government was also adopting the ‘principle of reciprocity’, as reported by BBC News.
Mali and Burkina Faso are following Niger’s lead in imposing restrictions on US citizens. Recently, Niger announced a permanent ban on issuing visas to all American nationals and prohibiting their entry, as reported by the Nigerian Press Agency (ANP).
A diplomatic source conveyed to the ANP (via APA News): “Niger is completely and permanently prohibiting the issuance of visas to all US citizens and indefinitely banning entry to its territory for nationals of the United States.”
Back in June, Chad also declared a suspension of visa issuance to US citizens after being placed on an initial list that restricted citizens from 12 countries from entering America.