Chad has announced that it will suspend visas for US citizens in response to the Trump administration’s ban on Chadians visiting the U.S.
The decision comes after Trump announced a visa restriction on 12 nations, including Chad, citing “deficient” screening and vetting processes and a history of refusing to repatriate nationals who overstay in the United States.
Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen are among the countries targeted by the new prohibition.
There will also be heightened restrictions on visitors from seven others in the new travel policy, which takes effect Monday .
In a Facebook post, Chad’s president on Thursday said he is directing his government to suspend visas to U.S. citizens “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.
The new travel policy has triggered varied reactions from Africa, whose countries make up seven of the 12 countries affected by Trump’s outright visa ban with some exemptions.
In the Republic of Congo, government spokesperson Thierry Moungalla said he believes the country was among those affected because of a “misunderstanding” over an armed attack in the U.S. with the perpetrators “mistaken” to be from the Republic of Congo.
“Obviously, Congo is not a terrorist country, is not home to any terrorist, is not known to have a terrorist vocation. So we think that this is a misunderstanding and I believe that in the coming hours, the competent diplomatic services of the government will contact the American authorities here,” he said in the capital of Brazzaville.
In Sierra Leone, among countries with heightened travel restrictions, Information Minister Chernor Bah said the country is committed to addressing the concerns that prompted the ban.
“We will work with U.S. authorities to ensure progress,” he added.
