ADDIS ABABA/PARIS: The African Union (AU) on Wednesday expressed its “bewilderment” at US President Donald Trump’s inclusion of Chad on an updated and open-ended travel ban list issued at the weekend while France urged the US to quickly reverse its decision, as Chad it said was an ally in the fight against terrorist groups.
While welcoming Sudan’s removal from the new list issued Sunday, the AU said it had been “perplexed” by the presence of three African countries — Libya, Somalia and Sudan — on Trump’s original travel ban.
In a statement, it criticized the “unjust” inclusion of Chad, a country with a long history of cooperation with the US on counter-terrorism.
The AU statement “expressed bewilderment at the imposition of the unjust travel ban on the Republic of Chad, in particular, given its important role in the fight against terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin, Northern Mali, and the Sahel.”
Chadian forces, sometimes in close collaboration with the US military, play a leading role in fighting against Nigeria’s Boko Haram militants.
Chad has suffered militant attacks and its capital, N’Djamena, hosts the five-country Multinational Joint Task Force against Boko Haram.
The new travel ban indefinitely blocks citizens of listed countries from entry to the US.
The AU said it shares US concerns over “the threat of terrorism and violent extremism” but that “cooperation and meaningful engagement” were the answer.
“The free and legal movement of people is the foundation of a stronger and mutually enriching relationship between the African continent and the United States,” the AU added.
On Sunday, Trump acknowledged Chad as “an important and valuable counterterrorism partner” but added it “does not adequately share public-safety and terrorism-related information” and warned that “several terrorist groups are active within Chad or in the surrounding region.”
Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, alongside the three African countries, are subject to the new ban which takes effect on Oct. 18.
Paris urges US to lift ban
France said on Wednesday it was surprised by new US travel restrictions on citizens from Chad, which Paris said was an ally in the fight against terrorist groups, and urged the US to quickly reverse its decision.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday imposed a new ban on citizens from North Korea, Venezuela and Chad, expanding to eight the list of countries covered by his original travel bans that have been derided by critics and challenged in court.
“We learned with surprise of the United States’ decision to expand its entry ban on Chadian citizens,” French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne said.
“Chad is a decisive partner in the fight against terrorism. It has mobilized from the start and paid a heavy price in this battle.”
France considers its former colony as its main ally in the fight against militants in West Africa and the headquarters of its 4,000-strong counter-terrorism Operation Barkhane force is in the Chadian capital N’djamena. The US also has a base in the city.
“France hopes that with this in mind the United States and Chad... will find a quick solution that will enable this ban to be lifted,” Romatet-Espagne said.