Mali declared that US citizens going to the country would need to pay a maximum of a $10,000 (£7,500) bond for business and visit visas, as revenge for the same policy imposed by the Trump administration on their nationals.
The US embassy in Mali said on Friday, October 10, the fee had been introduced to reinforce Washington’s “commitment to protecting America’s borders and safeguarding US national security”.
Mali’s foreign ministry said on Sunday the bond had been imposed unilaterally, and it had decided to “establish an identical visa programme” for US citizens.
The visa policy shift comes despite moves to improve diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In July, US officials visited Mali to discuss counterterrorism cooperation and economic partnerships, including potential access to Mali’s gold and lithium reserves.
Relations deteriorated after a coup in Mali in 2021 led to Gen Assimi Goïta sweeping to power.
He pivoted the West African state towards Russia in a bid to stem a growing insurgency by jihadists.
He expelled French soldiers and brought in mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group, which is dominated by Moscow's defense ministry. They were subsequently replaced by Africa Corps.
Burkina Faso's military junta refused last week to take in deportees from the US as Washington suspended granting visas in the West African nation.
Foreign affairs minister Jean-Marie Karamoko Traoré questioned whether the embassy relocation was "blackmail" after he said he had turned down an American request to take migrants from third-party countries.
The US government of Donald Trump has returned to African countries as a destination to deport immigrants as part of its clampdown on immigration.
Source: BBC