The United States Department of State has updated its global travel advisory, placing 23 countries under its highest warning level, Level 4, and advising American citizens not to travel to those destinations under any circumstances.
The updated advisory was announced on Saturday, July 18, through the department’s TravelGov X account, where officials explained that a Level 4 designation is reserved for countries with extremely dangerous security conditions or locations where the US government has limited ability to provide assistance to its citizens.
“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.
It added, “These places are dangerous. Do not go for ANY reason.”
According to the revised advisory, 11 African countries were included in the Level 4 category. They are Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Mali, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
The complete list of countries under the highest travel warning includes Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Myanmar (Burma), 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.
While Nigeria was not placed under the Level 4 category nationwide, the State Department maintained the country at Level 3, advising Americans to reconsider travel because of concerns over crime, terrorism, kidnapping, civil unrest and inconsistent healthcare services.
However, the advisory places several Nigerian states under the stricter Level 4 warning due to heightened security risks.
The states listed under the highest advisory include Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe and northern Adamawa in the North, as well as Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo and Rivers State, with Port Harcourt excluded from the Rivers State designation.
According to the State Department, Americans are strongly advised not to travel to those locations because of ongoing security challenges.
The Nigerian government, however, rejected the US assessment, stating that the advisory represents a routine precaution based on Washington’s internal risk evaluation procedures and should not be interpreted as a comprehensive reflection of the country’s overall security situation.
