Chadian nationals will once again be able to receive travel visas to the United States after President Donald Trump lifted travel restrictions on the Central African country on Tuesday.
The move follows an assessment that determined that Chad’s travel systems were now improved to meet the security standards of the United States.
Chad was added to Trump’s travel ban proclamation in September 2017 when Sudan was removed, causing a shock to many as it is a major Western ally and a key contributor to troops in the fight against militant Islamists in the region.
The Trump presidency said at the time that Chad had a significant terrorist presence in its borders and was not sharing satisfactory security-related information with the Americans.
Trump’s original executive ban on January last year was said to have unlawfully targeted Muslim travellers.
With Chad now taken off the list, the remaining countries still include two Muslim-majority African countries namely Libya and Somalia.
The other countries on the list are Iran, Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Venezuela.
Trump said these other seven countries did not make notable or sufficient improvements in their identity-management and information-sharing practices and would remain on the list, the White House indicated in a statement signed by press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
