The military government of Mali has announced the introduction of a $10,000 visa bond for U.S. citizens applying for business and tourist visas, in direct retaliation to a similar measure recently implemented by Washington.

The move mirrors a U.S. pilot visa bond programme set to take effect on October 23, 2025, requiring Malian nationals applying for B-1/B-2 visas to post a bond of either $5,000 or $10,000 as a condition for entry.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mali described the American decision as a breach of the 2005 Agreement on the Institution of Multiple-Entry Long-Term Visas between the two countries.

“The Ministry, while acknowledging this measure, deplores the unilateral decision of the U.S. Government, which violates the provisions of the Agreement on the Institution of Multiple-Entry Long-Term Visas between the two States, which entered into force on 14 April 2005,” the statement read.

The Malian government said its response was based on the principle of reciprocity:
“In accordance with reciprocity, Mali has decided to establish an identical visa programme, imposing the same conditions and requirements on U.S. nationals as those applied to Malian citizens.”

The statement reaffirmed Mali’s commitment to cooperation with the United States on issues of migration management and security, while stressing that such cooperation must be grounded in mutual respect and sovereignty.

The new policy marks a significant escalation in the already deteriorating relations between Bamako and Washington. Ties between the two nations have soured since military coups in 2020 and 2021 ousted Mali’s democratically elected government.

Following the coups, the United States suspended security assistance and training programmes, citing concerns over human rights violations and democratic decline. Relations further deteriorated when Mali’s junta aligned with Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries for counterinsurgency operations — a move that alienated Western partners.

While the U.S. and its allies have accused Wagner forces of grave human rights abuses, Mali’s authorities have repeatedly accused Western powers, including France, of betrayal and neocolonial interference.

The reciprocal visa bond policy now adds another layer of tension to the fractured diplomatic relationship, signaling what observers describe as a new phase of tit-for-tat diplomacy between the two nations.