The United States Department of State has placed 23 countries under its highest-risk travel advisory level, urging American citizens to avoid travelling to the destinations for any reason.
In an updated advisory shared on Saturday through the US government’s TravelGov X handle, the department said Level 4 travel advisories are issued for countries where local conditions are considered dangerous or where the US government’s ability to provide assistance to its citizens is 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 said in a notice posted on Thursday.
It added: “These places are dangerous. Do not go for ANY reason.”
Eleven African countries were included on the Level 4 list: Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Mali, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
The full list of countries under the US Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory includes 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.
The latest advisory comes months after the State Department maintained Nigeria’s status at Level 3: Reconsider Travel, while placing several Nigerian states under Level 4: Do Not Travel due to security concerns.
The Nigerian states listed under the Level 4 advisory include Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe and northern Adamawa in the North.
In the South-South and South-East regions, the states listed are Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo and Rivers, excluding Port Harcourt.
The US advisory cited crime, terrorism, kidnapping, civil unrest and inconsistent healthcare services as reasons for urging Americans to reconsider travel to Nigeria, while advising against travel to the designated Level 4 states.
Reacting to the advisory, the Nigerian government described the decision as a “routine precaution guided by internal protocols”, saying it did not reflect the overall security situation in the country.
Minister of Information Mohammed Idris acknowledged that Nigeria faces “isolated security challenges” but said there was no breakdown of law and order, adding that the country remains stable.
