President of Chad, Mahamat Deby, has responded to Donald Trump’s travel ban by halting visa approvals for US citizens.
Mr. Deby made this announcement on Thursday, a day after Mr. Trump enacted the proclamation prohibiting citizens from Chad and six other African nations from accessing the US. Other affected countries include the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan.
Mr. Trump said that the ban was to safeguard the US from potential foreign terrorist threats and other security risks. However, in reaction, Chad announced it would apply the principle of reciprocity by ceasing the issuance of visas to Americans.
In a Facebook post, President Deby remarked, “I have directed the government to act in line with the principle of reciprocity and suspend the granting of visas to US citizens.”
At the same time, the African Union Commission has cautioned that the US’s arbitrary travel bans on African nations could jeopardise long-standing diplomatic ties between the two regions.
The Commission emphasised that the US government should adopt a more balanced and evidence-driven approach in its decision-making process.
