A bombshell has hit diplomatic relations between N’Djamena and Washington D.C.. US President Donald Trump has just added Chad to his blacklist of 12 countries whose nationals are banned from entering the United States. The official White House statement was issues on 4 June. It’s a painful decision: 8 of the countries concerned are African.
N’Djamena’s surprise response
Against all expectations Chad reacted immediately. Less than 24 hours after the US announcement, President Mahamat Idriss Déby posted an inflammatory statement on his Facebook page: “I have instructed the government to apply the principle of reciprocity by suspending the granting of visas to US citizens.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the President of the National Assembly quickly followed suit, formalizing this unprecedented retaliatory measure.
The Chadian web in turmoil
Social media is ablaze. Two camps are facing off: on one side, the ‘sovereignists’ applaud this firm stance, seeing it as an affirmation that Chad will no longer bow down. On the other side, the ‘pragmatists’ are alarmed, fearing disastrous consequences for a country that so badly needs its partners.
A long-standing dispute
Behind the scenes, observers point to tensions that have been building since Trump’s first term. Washington regularly accuses N’Djamena of providing Chadian passports to Sudanese nationals and of supporting the FSR in the Sudanese conflict. These allegations have long poisoned bilateral relations. Today, this visa crisis opens a new and uncertain chapter in relations between the two countries. Chad, accustomed to compromising with its partners, has this time chosen confrontation. Yesterday it was against France, today it is against the United States. Is this a risky gamble or a necessary assertion of sovereignty? Only time will tell.
