Anger over Trump’s travel ban on African nations

The AU has expressed dismay over the abrupt decision by the Trump administration to impose travel bans on people from a string of countries on the continent, reports News24. African nations made up seven of the 12 countries banned from entering the US under the decree signed on Wednesday by President Donald Trump. They are Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan. The AU said the ban would harm ‘people-to-people ties, educational exchange, commercial engagement, and broader diplomatic relations’ built with the US over decades'. It appealed to Washington to adopt a ‘consultative approach and to engage in constructive dialogue with the countries concerned’. US President Donald Trump said the move was spurred by an attack on a Jewish protest in Colorado by an Egyptian man, even though Egypt was not included in the travel ban. He also imposed a ban on travellers from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Haiti, Iran and Yemen. Chad’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul told AFP the government was ‘surprised by this announcement and even more by the terrorism-related reason (which) completely disregards Chad’s commitment and results in this area’.

Full News24 report

Chad’s President, Mahamat Deby, has retaliated against Donald Trump’s travel ban by suspending visa issuance to US citizens, reports Premium Times Nigeria. Deby disclosed this on Thursday, a day after US President signed the proclamation banning Chad nationals and citizens from six other African countries from entering the US. Deby, in response, said in a post on Facebook: ‘I have instructed the government to act in accordance with the principles of reciprocity and suspend the issuance of visas to US citizens. Chad has no planes to offer, no billions of dollars to give but Chad has its dignity and pride.’ According to reports Deby was referring to Qatar's gift of a $400m plane to Trump. The new US travel ban affects 12 countries while seven other countries were issued visa restrictions. Apart from Chad, other affected African countries are the DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan. According to Trump, the ban was imposed to protect the US against foreign terrorists and other security threats.

Full report in Premium Times Nigeria