The United States Department of State has updated its global travel advisory, placing 23 countries under its highest travel warning, Level 4, and urging American citizens not to visit them under any circumstances.
The revised advisory, published on Thursday and shared through the department’s TravelGov X account, stated that a Level 4 designation is issued where security conditions pose serious risks or where the US government’s ability to assist its citizens is severely limited.
“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,” the department stated.
It added: “These places are dangerous. Do not go for ANY reason.”
The countries placed under the highest advisory are Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burma (Myanmar), Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Niger, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine and Yemen.
Eleven of the countries on the list are in Africa: Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Mali, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
The updated advisory comes months after the State Department retained Nigeria under a Level 3 advisory, urging Americans to reconsider travel because of crime, terrorism, kidnapping, civil unrest and inconsistent healthcare services.
However, the US government maintains a Level 4 advisory for several Nigerian states due to heightened security concerns.
The affected states include Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe and northern Adamawa in northern Nigeria.
In the South-South and South-East, the advisory applies to Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo and Rivers State, excluding Port Harcourt.
The Nigerian government has rejected the US assessment, describing it as a routine precaution based on Washington’s internal security procedures rather than an accurate reflection of the country’s overall security situation.
