Mali and Burkina Faso have announced immediate reciprocal travel restrictions on the United States, after President Donald Trump expanded Washington’s controversial nationality-based entry ban earlier this month.
The new US measures bar citizens of seven additional countries — including Syria, holders of Palestinian Authority passports, and nationals of Niger, Sierra Leone and South Sudan — from entering the United States. The move brings to nearly 40 the number of countries whose citizens face some form of US travel restriction solely on the basis of nationality.
The White House said the updated policy targets foreigners who “intend to threaten” Americans. But in Bamako and Ouagadougou, the decision has been cast as a direct affront to national dignity.
“America is a country in the world, just like Mali. In this world, respect must be enforced,” said chauffeur Daba Soumano in Mali’s capital. “America has asserted its country’s rules. We have also made our principles known. We can no longer allow any country, whether it be a superpower or a third country, to disrespect us. Respect is mutual.”
A retired Malian soldier, who declined to give his name, was even more blunt: “We will no longer yield to anyone. We have taken a path of no return. From now on, we would rather die than give in. Neither the United States nor France will be able to make us bend.”
Electrical engineer Diakaridja Sidibé described his government’s response as an act of sovereignty. “It is a diplomatic struggle. Often, it ends in a standoff. They have shown their power. It is up to us to defend our dignity and patriotism. And that is perfectly normal.”
Both Mali and Burkina Faso are part of the Alliance of Sahel States, a confederation formed in 2023 that also includes Niger. The three juntas have made “sovereignty” their watchword, withdrawing from the West African bloc ECOWAS and sharply downgrading ties with former colonial power France, while deepening security cooperation with Russia. Relations with Washington, though strained, had remained relatively cordial until now.
Niger has not formally announced retaliatory steps, but its state news agency, citing a diplomatic source, reported last week that counter-measures had been agreed.
Trump’s December 17 order also introduced partial travel restrictions on citizens of Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal — all of which have qualified for next year’s football World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. While US officials have pledged that athletes will be allowed in for the tournament, they have given no such assurances for fans from newly blacklisted countries.
In October, Burkina Faso publicly refused to accept migrants deported from the United States, denouncing the proposal as “indecent”. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has made mass deportations — often to third countries with which migrants have no prior ties — a central plank of a sweeping immigration crackdown.
