Dakar, Senegal
AP
—
Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it will require U.S. visa applicants to post a deposit of up to $10,000, in line with a similar measure enacted by the United States last week (effective October 23).
The ministry’s statement Sunday followed one released Friday by the U.S. Embassy in Mali’s capital, Bamako. The report cited high overstay rates, inadequate testing and vetting, and foreign policy considerations as potential reasons behind the U.S. decision.
“Mali has decided to introduce an identical visa program, subjecting Americans to the same conditions and requirements that apply to Malian nationals, in accordance with the principle of reciprocity,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Mali’s military leadership, which came to power in a 2021 coup, has overseen a dramatic shift in domestic policy, expelling the French military as France’s main counterterrorism partner and turning instead to Russia for security assistance. However, the security situation remains unstable, and attacks by extremist groups linked to al-Qaeda have intensified in recent months.
Mali, along with neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has long battled an insurgency by armed groups including al-Qaeda and Islamic State allies.
In early September, al-Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslim announced a ban on fuel imports from neighboring countries, which analysts say poses significant risks to the fragile local economy and is a significant setback for Mali’s military junta.
