Mali and Burkina Faso have decided to block US citizens from entering their countries. This move comes after the Trump administration placed full entry restrictions on these two West African nations. Burkina Faso's foreign affairs minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, said the government acted on the "principle of reciprocity." Mali's foreign ministry called for "mutual respect and sovereign equality" and said it regretted that "such an important decision was made without any prior consultation." Days earlier, Niger, a neighbouring country, also banned US citizens in a similar tit-for-tat move. These three countries are ruled by military juntas that took power in recent coups. They have formed a regional bloc and shifted their ties towards Russia after relations with Western powers cooled. The White House said earlier that it would enforce full-entry bans on people from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, and Palestinian Authority passport holders starting 1 January. It said these restrictions aim to "protect the security" of the United States. Laos and Sierra Leone were moved from partial to full bans, while 15 other countries like Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe face partial restrictions. This growing diplomatic tit-for-tat is reshaping travel and relations between the US and some African nations.