The United States Department of State has updated its global travel advisory, placing 23 countries under its highest warning level and urging American citizens not to travel to any of the listed destinations.
The revised advisory, released on Thursday and published through the department’s TravelGov X account, states that countries placed under Level 4 present serious security threats or are locations where the US government has limited ability to provide assistance to its citizens in the event of an emergency.
According to the department, its travel advisory system ranges from Levels 1 to 4, with Level 4 representing the highest level of risk. It stressed that Americans should avoid travelling to these destinations under any circumstances because of the dangers involved.
The countries placed under the Level 4 advisory are Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burma, also known as Myanmar, the 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 African nations are included in the updated advisory. They are Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Mali, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
The latest update comes months after the US government retained Nigeria under a Level 3 travel advisory, encouraging American citizens to reconsider travelling to the country because of ongoing security concerns.
At the same time, several Nigerian states remain under the stricter Level 4 classification. In northern Nigeria, the advisory covers Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe and the northern part of Adamawa State.
In the South South and South East regions, the warning applies to Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo and Rivers State, with Port Harcourt excluded from the advisory.
The State Department said its caution on Nigeria is based on concerns over crime, terrorism, kidnapping, civil unrest and inconsistent healthcare services. It advised Americans to reconsider travel to the country while strongly discouraging visits to states classified under the Level 4 warning.
The Nigerian government, however, rejected the assessment, insisting that the advisory reflects Washington’s routine internal travel procedures rather than the overall security reality across Nigeria.
