U.S. passports are hitting a wall in West Africa.
Families are being separated, aid workers stranded, and projects paused as Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad tighten entry rules for Americans. What Washington calls routine security policy, Sahel governments see as a matter of respect and reciprocity.
For these countries, visas are no longer just paperwork—they are tools of dignity and leverage.
Students, families, and humanitarian workers are already feeling the impact. Rebuilding trust will require honest dialogue on security, fairness, and historical grievances.