The United States Department of State has placed 23 countries under its highest travel advisory level, warning American citizens not to travel there under any circumstances due to extreme security risks.
In an updated notice, the department explained that Level 4 advisories are issued for destinations where conditions are extremely dangerous or where US assistance to citizens is limited.
“Level 4 means DO NOT TRAVEL. We assign Level 4 based on local conditions and/or our limited ability to help Americans there,” it stated. “These places are dangerous. Do not go for ANY reason.”
The list includes 11 African nations: Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Mali, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. Other countries on the advisory are Afghanistan, Belarus, Burma (Myanmar), Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen.
The advisory comes as Nigeria remains at Level 3 overall, with several states designated Level 4 due to security concerns. Nigerian officials described the rating as a routine precaution that does not reflect the country’s broader stability.
