KIGALI, Rwanda

Chad’s President Mahamat Idriss Deby on Thursday hit back at the US travel ban imposed on its nationals, suspending the issuance of visas to American citizens.

“I have instructed the government to act in accordance with the principles of reciprocity and suspend the granting of visas to citizens of the United States,” Deby said in a post on X.

“Chad has neither planes to offer, nor billions of dollars to give but Chad has its dignity and pride.”

The move came a day after President Donald Trump announced a ban on entry into the US for nationals of 12 countries, including Chad, citing the need to “protect” his country from “foreign terrorists.”

The new US travel ban will come into force from June 9.

According to the White House, the proclamation will fully ban the entry of nationals from a dozen countries, including Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

These countries were found "to be deficient with regards to screening and vetting and determined to pose a very high risk to the United States, it said.