Mali and Burkina Faso will impose a travel ban on Americans in response to President Trump’s announcement this month that citizens of the two West African countries would be barred from entering the United States from Jan. 1.
Both governments said in separate statements on Tuesday that they were acting “in accordance with the principle of reciprocity,” and would apply the same restrictions on Americans that were imposed on their countries. The travel bans would take effect immediately, they added, and the decision was announced after Niger made a similar decision last week.
The Trump administration first imposed a travel ban on 12 countries in June. After an Afghan national was arrested in the shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington over the Thanksgiving weekend, Mr. Trump vowed to extend the restrictions to more countries. This month, he expanded the ban to 19 countries, including Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, taking the total number of affected African states to 12.
Mali’s foreign ministry said it rejected the Trump administration’s argument that the action was taken because of security concerns and said the United State had made its decision without consulting Mali.
Several African countries that have adopted a more conciliatory approach and conceded to the demands to accept deportees from the United States have received exemptions from such travel bans. Weeks after Liberia agreed to receive Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who was wrongly deported to El Salvador in March, the Trump administration extended visas for Liberians visiting the United States to 36 months from 12 months.
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are run my military juntas after coups in recent years. The military leaders of the countries had all largely severed ties with Washington and developed closer relations with Russia and China, as well as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. They have also left the Economic Community of West African States, a regional alliance, and formed their own bloc.
“While this is likely to further constrain relations, it will also displace Washington’s influence,” said Beverly Ochieng, an analyst at Control Risk, a risk management group.
Since Mr. Trump was re-elected, he has sought to reshape American relations with Africa. While there have been pockets of continued engagement, such as efforts to end the war in Congo, analysts said the president has leaned heavily toward withdrawing from the continent.
Mr. Trump’s decision to slash foreign aid spending was deeply felt in Africa, which was the biggest recipient of U.S. assistance. A large number of the U.S. diplomats who were withdrawn from service this month were believed to have been posted in Africa.
Despite the American pullback, the strategic importance of countries in the Sahel region, a stretch of land that refers to countries south of the Sahara, could mean they are able to maintain favorable relations with Washington. The Sahel, especially Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, account for more than half the world’s terrorism related deaths, according to the United Nations.
“Some of the closest partners of the Sahel countries — despite unmatched military or financial resources as the U.S. — continue to position themselves in a way that will likely grant them favorable access in strategic areas, including defense, mining and energy,” Ms. Ochieng said.
Saikou Jammeh is a reporter and researcher for The Times based in Dakar, Senegal.
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