Marking a thaw in US-Mali ties, the Trump administration has removed the West African nation from its contentious visa bond list. The US had imposed conditions for travellers from Mali to post a bond of up to $10,000 to obtain an American visa. Mali was added to the list on October 8, while the curbs were to come into effect on October 23. However, the latest updated list released by the US State Department did not include Mali. It had six other African countries: Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, The Gambia, Malawi, and Zambia. Citizens from these nations would be required to deposit a bond of up to $15,000 to obtain a B-1 or B-2 US visa. The US policy change followed a tit-for-tat move from Bamako. Mali announced reciprocal measures for Americans, requiring them to post a $10,000 bond to get visas to visit the country.
