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.
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African Union, France criticize US travel ban on Chad
African Union, France criticize US travel ban on Chad
EU leaders take stage in Davos as Trump rocks global order
- European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron will address the forum on Tuesday
DAVOS: European leaders take the stage on Tuesday ahead of Donald Trump at the gathering of global elites in Davos, as the US president dangles tariff threats in a bid to pressure the EU over Greenland.
Trump is set to dominate the week at the Swiss ski resort, with a US delegation already on the ground to promote an American agenda that has unsettled the global order cherished by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron will address the forum on Tuesday, along with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose countries have their own disputes with Trump.
Trump will deliver a speech on Wednesday and participate in other events on Thursday.
Europe is weighing countermeasures after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on eight European countries over the Greenland standoff.
The US president said he did not think European leaders would “push back too much” on his attempt to buy the vast Arctic island, telling reporters on Monday: “They have to have this done. They can’t protect it.”
Trump has flagged wanting to protect Greenland from perceived Russian and Chinese threats as a key justification for taking over the strategically-located territory, though analysts suggest Beijing is a small player in the region.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is leading the US contingent in Davos, warned that EU retaliation “would be very unwise.”
Von der Leyen met with a bipartisan US congressional delegation in Davos on Monday and said on social media that she had “addressed the need to unequivocally respect the sovereignty of Greenland and of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
While Macron will leave on Tuesday without seeing Trump in Davos, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would seek to meet the US president at the forum on Wednesday.
Merz said Germany and other European countries agreed “that we want to avoid any escalation in this dispute if at all possible.”
Trump’s relations with Macron hit a new low Monday when the US president threatened 200 percent tariffs on French wine over France’s intention to decline an invitation to join his “Board of Peace.”
Analysts have likened the board aimed at resolving international conflicts to a pay-to-play version of the UN Security Council — and Trump confirmed Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of various world leaders invited to join.
European Union leaders will hold an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss their response to the Greenland crisis, one of the gravest in years to hit transatlantic ties.
At a news conference in Davos, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said “tariff threats at the allied level are unacceptable. They weaken our transatlantic relationship and, in the worst case, can lead to a vicious cycle.”
When asked if the United States might use force, Stubb said: “I don’t believe that the United States will take control of Greenland militarily.”
Denmark has proposed that NATO start surveillance operations in Greenland to confront security concerns.
- ‘USA House’ -
Other prominent foreign leaders addressing the WEF on Tuesday include Carney, who has sought to reduce his country’s reliance on the United States as Trump has raised tariffs on Canadian products.
As US ties fray, Carney turned the page on years of diplomatic tensions with China during a visit to Beijing last week, securing a preliminary trade agreement to reduce tariffs.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, whose country has had long-running trade spats with Trump, will also address the WEF.
Other flashpoints on the WEF agenda include the crises in Venezuela, Gaza, Ukraine and Iran.
The United States has sent an unusually large delegation to Davos, in a sign that it wants to make its presence felt at the gathering for global economic and political leaders.
Bessent and other US officials will attend panels at the forum’s congress center but also at the “USA House,” a venue inside an old church on the glitzy promenade of the mountain retreat.
Trump is set to dominate the week at the Swiss ski resort, with a US delegation already on the ground to promote an American agenda that has unsettled the global order cherished by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron will address the forum on Tuesday, along with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose countries have their own disputes with Trump.
Trump will deliver a speech on Wednesday and participate in other events on Thursday.
Europe is weighing countermeasures after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on eight European countries over the Greenland standoff.
The US president said he did not think European leaders would “push back too much” on his attempt to buy the vast Arctic island, telling reporters on Monday: “They have to have this done. They can’t protect it.”
Trump has flagged wanting to protect Greenland from perceived Russian and Chinese threats as a key justification for taking over the strategically-located territory, though analysts suggest Beijing is a small player in the region.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is leading the US contingent in Davos, warned that EU retaliation “would be very unwise.”
Von der Leyen met with a bipartisan US congressional delegation in Davos on Monday and said on social media that she had “addressed the need to unequivocally respect the sovereignty of Greenland and of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
While Macron will leave on Tuesday without seeing Trump in Davos, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would seek to meet the US president at the forum on Wednesday.
Merz said Germany and other European countries agreed “that we want to avoid any escalation in this dispute if at all possible.”
Trump’s relations with Macron hit a new low Monday when the US president threatened 200 percent tariffs on French wine over France’s intention to decline an invitation to join his “Board of Peace.”
Analysts have likened the board aimed at resolving international conflicts to a pay-to-play version of the UN Security Council — and Trump confirmed Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of various world leaders invited to join.
European Union leaders will hold an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss their response to the Greenland crisis, one of the gravest in years to hit transatlantic ties.
At a news conference in Davos, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said “tariff threats at the allied level are unacceptable. They weaken our transatlantic relationship and, in the worst case, can lead to a vicious cycle.”
When asked if the United States might use force, Stubb said: “I don’t believe that the United States will take control of Greenland militarily.”
Denmark has proposed that NATO start surveillance operations in Greenland to confront security concerns.
- ‘USA House’ -
Other prominent foreign leaders addressing the WEF on Tuesday include Carney, who has sought to reduce his country’s reliance on the United States as Trump has raised tariffs on Canadian products.
As US ties fray, Carney turned the page on years of diplomatic tensions with China during a visit to Beijing last week, securing a preliminary trade agreement to reduce tariffs.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, whose country has had long-running trade spats with Trump, will also address the WEF.
Other flashpoints on the WEF agenda include the crises in Venezuela, Gaza, Ukraine and Iran.
The United States has sent an unusually large delegation to Davos, in a sign that it wants to make its presence felt at the gathering for global economic and political leaders.
Bessent and other US officials will attend panels at the forum’s congress center but also at the “USA House,” a venue inside an old church on the glitzy promenade of the mountain retreat.
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