Chad’s President, Mahamat Idriss Déby, has announced the suspension of visa issuance to United States citizens, following the reinstatement of a US travel ban targeting Chadian nationals.
President Déby made the announcement on Thursday, a day after former US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation banning citizens of Chad and six other African nations from entering the United States.
“Chad has no aircraft to offer, no billions to give, but Chad has its dignity and pride,” Déby declared, alluding to the $400 million luxury aircraft gifted to his administration by Qatar’s ruling family.
The new travel restrictions mark a revival of one of Trump’s signature policies from his first term, targeting 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Trump cited “deficient” vetting procedures and the refusal of some governments to repatriate nationals who overstay their US visas as reasons for the ban.
Also Read: Trump Signs New Travel Ban on 12 Countries
In the Republic of Congo, government spokesperson Thierry Moungalla attributed his country’s inclusion in the ban to a likely “misunderstanding” involving an armed incident in the US, in which the perpetrators were allegedly misidentified as Congolese.
“Congo is not a terrorist state. It is not home to terrorists, nor is it known for any terrorist tendencies,” Moungalla stated. “We believe this to be a misunderstanding, and our diplomatic services will be engaging the US authorities shortly to clarify the matter.”
