Latest Travel Warnings in late 2009

I was perusing the US State Department Travel Warning site and noticed several new travel alerts that have been issued with minimal fanfare or news coverage. The last month has seen a flurry of new warnings that I share below:

Mauritania and Mali (12/02 and 11/19): Foggy Bottom urges “extreme caution” when traveling there due to increased activities by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which continues to demonstrate its intent and ability to conduct terrorist attacks against westerners. Three Spanish NGO workers were kidnapped from their vehicle while driving on November 29, on August 8, a suicide bombing near the French Embassy in Nouakchott injured two French guards and one Mauritanian citizen, and on June 23 a private U.S. citizen was shot and killed in an apparent kidnapping attempt by AQIM. Faith-based NGOs and other organizations active in the region, regardless of location, may also be particularly targeted.

Chad (11/23): Violent crime is escalating in eastern Chad near the Sudan and CAR borders, and the level of violence is increasing. Incidents including robbery and carjacking at gunpoint, kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, and murder. Criminal and rebel activity tends to increase during the dry season, which lasts from late September to July, but has nonetheless remained steady through this year. Despite UN peacekeepers, the government remains unstable, and the US embassy is ready to evacuate if rebels approach the capital of N’djamena. Commercial flights are also subject to change when rebel activity intensifies.

Sri Lanka (11/19): Although the civil war appears to have ended, the warning about the risks of travel to Sri Lanka continue due to security concerns and uncleared landmines in the northern area. There are also remnant members of the Tamil Tigers (LTTE), although overall stability in the southern and western areas of the country has improved.

Nepal (11/19): One of ComingAnarchy’s favorite hotspots remains subject to political violence. Protests, demonstrations and disruptions continue to occur, often without advance notice, during which protestors have used violence that includes forcibly closing businesses and damaging private and public property. Curfews can be announced with little or no advance notice. And despite the Maoist peace and participation with the new government, the Young Communist League (YCL), a Maoist affiliate, and other armed groups continue to engage in extortion, abuse, and threats of violence, particularly in rural areas near the India border.