The US State Department has banned the former president of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, and his immediate family members from entering the United States.
It said he was being barred because of his involvement in corruption.
Mr Jammeh went into exile in Equatorial Guinea after losing the 2016 presidential election to Adama Barrow.
A truth and reconciliation commission has been set up in The Gambia to investigate the well documented human rights abuses committed during his two decades in office.
Correspondents say it is unclear why the US has issued the travel ban now – two years after he left office.
Yahya Jammeh: At a glance
- Born in May 1965
- Seized power in a coup in 1994
- In 2013, he vowed to stay in power for “a billion years” if God wills
- He also ordered the execution of criminals and political opponents on death row
- Claimed in 2007 he could cure Aids and infertility with herbal concoctions
- Warned in 2008 that gay people would be beheaded
- Denied his security agents killed journalist Deyda Hydara in 2004
Source:BBC