Map Shows US Travel Warnings for Africa Right Now

Americans have been warned against travelling to certain parts of Africa, with a string of updated advisories issued by the U.S. State Department in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, many other countries on the continent remain covered by long-standing travel advisories warning of the risks to US citizens who travel there.

Newsweek has created a map setting out the various advisories that are currently in place.

Why It Matters

The world is currently enduring a particularly fraught geopolitical landscape, with a number of conflicts playing out across the globe.

In Africa, some regions are suffering from political instability and economic chaos, and U.S. travel advisories warn that visitors to some areas may risk being caught up in violent conflicts, terrorism, or kidnappings.

Meanwhile, policies by President Donald Trump have seen tariffs hiked for African countries, while international aid to the continent has been slashed. The cuts to aid, initiated by Trump ally Elon Musk at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have sparked fears of famine and the spread of disease, with experts warning that increasingly desperate people could be driven into the arms of anti-American terrorist groups.

What To Know

State Department travel advisories for Americans are grouped into four categories.

Level 1 warnings urge travelers to "exercise normal precautions," while Level 2 advisories suggest exercising "increased caution." Level 3 warnings say potential visitors to a particular country should "reconsider travel," while the highest warning, Level 4, simply states, "do not travel."

The warnings cover a host of countries from the Near East to Sub-Saharan Africa, with countries in the north, central region, and the south of the continent all featuring in various advisories. The full list of advisories can be found on the State Department's website.

Advisories are frequently updated by the State Department to ensure they remain relevant. For example, Ghana's Level 2 guidance was updated on April 8, while Level 3 guidance was updated for Chad and Niger last month. Level 4 advisories were updated for the Democratic Republic of the Congo in January and South Sudan on March 8.

The current advisories are:

• Level 1 advisories, which have the lowest perceived risk for Americans, include countries such as Senegal, Mayotte, and Zambia.
• Level 2 advisories are in place for Morocco, Tunisia, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Eritrea, Gabon, the Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
  For example, the advisory for Botswana warns: "Crimes of opportunity, primarily the theft of money and personal property, are common in Botswana. Potentially violent crimes, such as home invasions, break-ins, 'smash and grabs' from vehicles stopped at intersections and from locked cars in shopping mall parking lots, cell phone thefts, and muggings are routinely reported to police."

• Level 3 warnings include Egypt, Burundi, Chad, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Uganda.
  For example, the warning for Egypt issued by the State Department reads: "Reconsider travel to Egypt due to terrorism. Exercise increased caution in Egypt due to the Embassy's limited ability to assist dual national U.S.-Egyptian citizens who are arrested or detained." While the Nigeria warning states: "Reconsider travel to Nigeria due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed gangs."
• Level 4 advisories are in place for countries including Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic.
  The Burkina Faso warning says that a state of emergency exists across some regions, and warns "terrorism, crime, and kidnapping" pose a serious threat.
  While the warning for the Central African Republic tells travelers to avoid the country "due to armed conflict, crime, civil unrest, and kidnapping, as well as Embassy Bangui's limited capacity to provide support to U.S. citizens."
  Libya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, and Sudan are also covered by Level 4 warnings.

Africa is not the only part of the world that has sparked such warnings by the State Department.

Many countries in Europe are also under travel advisories for American visitors. For example, Americans are warned simply to "reconsider" any plans to travel to war-stricken Ukraine, while others planning trips to other European countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Germany are urged to "exercise increased caution" over fears of terror attacks.

And the warnings go both ways. Earlier this month, Germany, the U.K., Finland and Denmark all revised their official guidance, saying that entry into the U.S. is not guaranteed and that travelers may face increased scrutiny at the border. The move followed an immigration crackdown by Trump that has led to mass deportations and seen even tourists and green card holders subjected to increased scrutiny upon arrival in the U.S.

Meanwhile, in a move that pre-dated Trump's second term, multiple countries issued travel warnings to their citizens about the dangers of visiting America due to the threat of gun violence.

What People Are Saying

On Saturday, the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs was forced to issue a warning following an outbreak of violence in North Darfur in Sudan, which left nine U.S.-funded aid workers dead.

The agency wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "The U.S. is deeply alarmed by reports of attacks by the RSF on Zamzam and Abu Shouk IDP camps outside El Fasher, North Darfur. We condemn the RSF's attacks on the most vulnerable of civilians, including the killings of 9 U.S.-funded relief workers providing critical life-saving assistance. We urge the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers. We also call for opening humanitarian corridors to enable humanitarian access and the safe passage of civilians fleeing violence. The belligerents must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and must be held accountable."

What Happens Next?

Anyone planning a trip to Africa should check the latest guidance on the State Department's website about the location they are intending to visit.