The Government of Chad has suspended the issuance of visas to United States citizens in retaliation to a recent decision by the US to ban Chadian nationals from entering its territory.
On Wednesday, June 4, US President Donald Trump made the decision to ban citizens from 12 countries, including Chad, from entering the United States.
Trump said the measure was taken to prevent what he called “foreign terrorists.”
In response, Chad’s President, Maréchal Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, announced on his Facebook page that he had ordered his government to halt the issuance of visas to US citizens.
He stated:
“I have instructed the Government to take reciprocal action, suspending the issuance of visas to American citizens.”
He added:
“Chad has no planes to offer, no dollars to give, but we have dignity and pride.”
Besides Chad, the other countries whose citizens have been banned from the US include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
A statement from the US Presidency (White House) also mentioned that citizens from seven additional countries were banned due to posing a “serious threat” to the United States.
These include Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
