Chad has suspended issuing visas to U.S. citizens following a renewed U.S. travel ban that includes the Central African country.
President Mahamat Idriss Deby made the announcement Thursday, calling the move “in accordance with the principles of reciprocity.”
“Chad has no planes to offer, no billions of dollars to give but Chad has his dignity and pride,” Deby said in a Facebook post, referencing a luxury jet gifted by Qatar.
The decision follows former President Donald Trump’s Wednesday announcement reinstating a travel ban on 12 countries, citing “deficient” security screening and refusal to repatriate overstaying nationals.
Affected nations include Chad, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The policy takes effect Monday.
Reactions have been swift across Africa. Republic of Congo’s government spokesperson Thierry Moungalla called the ban a mistake, saying it stemmed from a “misunderstanding” of a U.S. incident wrongly linked to Congolese nationals.
“Obviously, Congo is not a terrorist country,” Moungalla said, adding that officials plan to engage with U.S. diplomats.
In Sierra Leone, facing increased travel scrutiny, Information Minister Chernor Bah said, “We will work with U.S. authorities to ensure progress.”
