Mali has announced that US nationals visiting the West African country will be required to post a bond of up to $10,000 for business and tourist visas, in response to a similar requirement the Trump administration has imposed on its citizens.
The US embassy in Mali says the fee had been introduced to reinforce Washington’s “commitment to protecting America’s borders and safeguarding US national security”.
Mali’s foreign ministry says 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. Foreign affairs minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré questioned if the embassy’s decision was “blackmail” after he said he had rejected a US proposal to take in migrants from third countries.