The United States (US) has added seven countries, including five in Africa, to its list of nations whose citizens must post bonds of up to $15 000 to apply for entry.

The latest additions are Botswana, Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Namibia, alongside Bhutan and Turkmenistan.

The requirement is seen as making US visas prohibitively expensive for many applicants. These new countries join a list that already included Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, Gambia, Malawi, and Zambia, which were added in August and October of last year.

–ChannelAfrica–