Mali has accused Washington of violating decades-old agreement that allowed long-term and multiple-entry visas between the two countries<\/p>\n
Mali has imposed visa bond requirements on US citizens in retaliation for Washington\u2019s decision to crack down on nationals from the West African country.
\nThe US has demanded that all Malian business or tourist visa applicants post bonds of between $5,000 and $10,000 starting October 23.
\nIn a statement on Sunday, Mali\u2019s Foreign Ministry criticized the \u201cunilateral decision\u201d and said it violates a 2005 bilateral agreement that allowed long-term, multiple-entry visas between the two countries.
\n\u201cIn application of the principle of reciprocity, Mali has decided to introduce an identical visa program, imposing on American nationals the same conditions and requirements as those applied to Malian citizens,\u201d the ministry stated.
\nMali is one of five African countries the US Department of State listed last Wednesday for a year-long pilot bond program, alongside Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, and The Gambia. The Department of State says the scheme is meant to curb high overstay rates.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: US slaps $15,000 visa bond on two African states<\/p>\n
Since August, Zambian and Malawian passport holders have been required to pay bonds of up to $15,000 for their US visas.
\nAffected travelers from the seven countries must pay upfront through a US Treasury Department portal and may enter or exit the US only through three designated airports.
\nAccording to the State Department, the full amount will be refunded to applicants who comply with all visa conditions, including departure before the authorized date and adherence to the bond terms.<\/p>\n
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The visa bond is the latest in a series of hardline immigration measures implemented by US President Donald Trump since his return to the White House in January. The Trump administration has imposed entry bans on citizens of more than a dozen countries, including Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan, citing national security concerns and \u201cunacceptable\u201d visa overstays.
\nLast Friday, the US Embassy in Burkina Faso announced it had suspended all visa services after the African state rejected demands to accept third-country deportees.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: African state reciprocates US visa ban<\/p>\n
On Sunday, Mali said it \u201chas always cooperated with the United States of America in combating irregular migration, in full respect of law and human dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mali has accused Washington of violating decades-old agreement that allowed long-term and multiple-entry visas between the two countries Mali has imposed visa bond requirements on US citizens in retaliation for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20209,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t