The United States Department of State has placed 23 countries under its highest travel advisory, Level 4, warning American citizens not to travel to those destinations because of serious security risks.
In its latest global travel advisory released through the official TravelGov platform, the department said the Level 4 classification is applied to countries experiencing armed conflict, widespread violent crime, or situations where the US government has limited ability to provide emergency assistance to its citizens.
The State Department stated:
“We issue Travel Advisories with Levels 1–4. Level 4 means DO NOT TRAVEL. We assign Level 4 based on local conditions and/or our limited ability to help Americans there. These places are dangerous. Do not go for ANY reason.”
Of the 23 countries on the “Do Not Travel” list, 11 are in Africa, with most located across the Sahel, East Africa and parts of Central Africa.
The African countries under the Level 4 advisory are Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Mali, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
The State Department also advised travellers to consult the complete alphabetical list of destinations under the Level 4 advisory before making international travel plans.
The countries currently listed are Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burma (Myanmar), Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Niger, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine and Yemen.
Although Nigeria is not among the countries on the Level 4 list, it remains under a Level 3 advisory, urging Americans to reconsider travel because of concerns over kidnapping, terrorism, banditry and limited access to reliable medical services.
However, the State Department has designated 23 Nigerian states as Level 4 areas.
The advisory specifically warns Americans against travelling to northern states including Borno, Yobe, Kaduna and Zamfara because of terrorism and banditry. It also applies to parts of the South and Southeast, including Abia, Anambra, Imo and Rivers State, excluding Port Harcourt, due to gang-related violence and civil unrest.
Reacting to the advisory, the Federal Government dismissed the warning as a standard security measure.
Speaking for the government, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, described the US advisory as a “routine precaution guided by internal protocols.”
Idris maintained that although some parts of the country face isolated security challenges, Nigeria remains stable and has not experienced any breakdown of law and order.
