Mali imposes retaliatory visa bond fees on US travellers

The measurement comes aft the US added Mali to its database of African countries required to station bonds of $5,000 and $10,000.

Mali has imposed visa enslaved requirements connected United States citizens identical to those Washington placed connected Malian travellers, successful a tit-for-tat effect to moves that its authorities has condemned arsenic a usurpation of bilateral agreements.

The Foreign Ministry successful Bamako announced the reciprocal measures connected Sunday aft the US began requiring Malian nationals seeking concern oregon tourer visas to station hefty bonds of betwixt $5,000 and $10,000 starting connected October 23.

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Mali said the US programme breaches a 2005 accord guaranteeing semipermanent visa entree betwixt the 2 nations, and vowed to use the aforesaid fiscal barriers to US passport holders nether the rule of reciprocity.

In a statement released by its Foreign Ministry, Mali said it “has ever collaborated with the United States of America successful the combat against irregular immigration, with respect for instrumentality and quality dignity”.

The quality highlights escalating tensions arsenic the medication of US President Donald Trump deploys visa restrictions arsenic diplomatic leverage to unit African governments connected migration enforcement and deportation cooperation.

Mali is among 7 African countries facing the enslaved requirements nether a year-long aviator strategy that the US State Department says targets nations with precocious visa overstay rates.

Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, and Tanzania were besides added to the programme alongside Mali successful precocious October, portion Gambia, Malawi and Zambia were added earlier.

Trump migration moves

Travellers taxable to the bonds indispensable wage up beforehand done a US Treasury Department portal, and tin lone participate and exit the US done 3 designated airports.

The wealth is refunded if visitors depart connected time, but forfeited for overstays oregon asylum applications. Consular officers find idiosyncratic enslaved amounts based connected applicants’ circumstances.

The US justified the aviator by citing nationalist information concerns and US Department of Homeland Security information showing much than 300,000 concern and tourer visa holders overstayed their authorised periods successful 2023.

Critics pass the fees – imposed atop modular $185 visa costs – could deter morganatic question and harm the US tourism system up of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Mali said it was funny successful “fruitful cooperative relations”, but was introducing the measurement against US citizens attempting to question determination successful the tone of reciprocity.

The visa bonds are the latest migration measurement pursuing months of efforts by the Trump medication to unit African nations into accepting deportees, including those not from their ain countries.

Several governments person received expelled migrants successful speech for payments oregon governmental favours, portion others faced swift punishment for refusal.

Burkina Faso had each visa services suspended astatine its US Embassy aft rejecting demands to judge third-country deportees, forcing residents to question to neighbouring Togo for applications.

South Sudan initially had visas for each passport holders revoked pursuing a deportation dispute, though it aboriginal accepted 8 radical from Asian and Latin American countries.

Eswatini agreed to person up to 160 deportees for $5.1m successful US funding, portion Ghana, Rwanda and Uganda person besides accepted expelled migrants nether bilateral arrangements, according to diplomatic sources.