Chad has decided to stop giving visas to people from the United States. This is to respond to a travel ban that former US President Donald Trump put in place.

On June 5, President Mahamat Idriss Itno announced this decision on Facebook. He asked his government to follow the idea of fairness and stop issuing visas to US citizens.

The president said, “Chad may not have planes or billions of dollars, but Chad has pride and respect.” He wants the country to stand up for itself by responding in kind.

The US travel ban started under Trump because of security concerns. It affected 12 countries, including seven in Africa. Apart from Chad, the list includes places like Afghanistan, Congo, Yemen, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Sudan, Myanmar, Somalia, Libya, and Equatorial Guinea.

The US also tightened visa rules for people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Although some exceptions are allowed by the US Secretary of State, many people feel the ban mostly targets African and Muslim-majority countries.

The African Union has expressed concern about this policy. They worry it could harm relationships and cooperation between countries. The AU asked the US to work more closely with the affected nations and be more thoughtful in its decisions.