Niger has imposed a ban on the issuance of visas to US nationals, indefinitely barring them from entering its territory, the West African country’s press agency ANP reported on Thursday, citing a diplomatic source.
The measure is grounded in the principle of reciprocity; Washington recently placed Niger on a list of countries whose citizens will be denied entry visas under expanded US travel restrictions, the source said. It is also part of a broader effort to assert national sovereignty and demonstrates a shift in Niamey’s diplomatic policy, ANP stated.
US President Donald Trump signed a decree on December 16 imposing a full entry ban on several countries, with Niger and four other African states – Burkina Faso, Mali, South Sudan, and Sierra Leone – affected by the decision.
Trump cited the activities of terrorist organizations, including attacks and kidnappings in the Sahel state, as well as alleged visa overstays by Nigerien nationals in the US, as justifications for the decision.
The suspension covers both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa categories and is set to take effect on January 1, 2026.
The reciprocal visa ban comes amid shifting geopolitical alignments in the Sahel. Washington has taken steps to diplomatically isolate Niger and its allies, Burkina Faso and Mali, following coups in these countries, including the suspension of development aid. It reflects a growing regional trend of countries pushing back against what they perceive as Western interference in their internal affairs.
This is not the only recent instance of African nations taking retaliatory actions against the US. In June, Chad suspended the issuance of visas to US nationals in response to earlier travel restrictions on Chadian passport holders.
In October, Mali followed suit, requiring US nationals to post a bond of up to $10,000 for business and tourist visas as a countermeasure to a similar requirement the Trump administration had imposed on Malian citizens.