Note: The following text is a quote:
https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=110387
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Warden Message: Mali Kidnapping Threat Reminder
CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS
Sub-Saharan Africa - Mali
17 Nov 2009
U.S Embassy Bamako issued the following Warden Message on November 17, 2009:
The U.S. Embassy in Bamako is issuing this warden message to remind the U.S. citizen community of the continued kidnapping threat in the north of Mali (Timbuktu, Gao, and Kidal regions) and also reminds citizens that the U.S. Department of State has issued a Travel Warning for Mali and continues to recommend against all travel to the north of Mali due to these threats against Westerners from Al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
U.S. citizens may call the Office of Overseas Citizens Services in the United States for the latest travel information. The Office of Overseas Citizens Services can be reached from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Monday through Friday, by calling 1-888-407-4747 from within the U.S. and Canada, or by calling (202) 501-4444 from other countries.
U.S. citizens living or traveling in Mali are encouraged to register with the Embassy through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security within Mali. Citizens without Internet access may register directly with the Embassy. By registering, U.S. Citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency.
The U.S. Embassy in Bamako is located at ACI 2000, Rue 243 Porte 297. The Consular Section can be contacted at +223 20 70 25 05, or via email at consularbamako@state.gov. Additional local information, as well as recent warden messages, are available on the Embassy’s website at http://mali.usembassy.gov.
RELATED REPORTS
31 Aug 2009
TRAVEL WARNING: MALI
24 Aug 2009
AQIM IN WEST AFRICA: FROM SAFE HAVEN TO BATTLEGROUND
21 Aug 2009
WARDEN MESSAGE: POSSIBLE MALI PROTESTS AUGUST 22
21 Aug 2009
WARDEN MESSAGE: MALI, THREAT TO AMERICANS DURING RAMADAN
12 Jun 2009
AQIM DEVELOPMENTS IN WEST AFRICA
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_4566.html
Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
This information is current as of today, Thu Nov 19 2009 21:33:39 GMT-0800 (PST).
MALI
November 19, 2009
The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the risks of travel to Mali and continues to recommend against all travel to the north of the country due to kidnapping threats against Westerners. This replaces the Travel Warning for Mali dated August 31, 2009, to update security and threat information.
As noted in the Department of State’s Worldwide Caution, dated July 29, 2009, the Islamic extremist group Al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has been designated as a terrorist organization by both the United States and the European Union. AQIM has declared its intention to attack Western targets throughout the Sahel (including Mali, Mauritania, and Niger), and has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of two Canadian United Nations officials in Niger in December 2008, the kidnapping of four European tourists in January 2009 on the Mali-Niger border, the murder of a British hostage in Mali in June 2009, the murder of a U.S. citizen in Mauritania in June 2009, and the suicide-bombing of the French Embassy in Mauritania on August 8, 2009. On November 14, 2009, heavily armed individuals attempted to kidnap U.S. Embassy employees in Tahoua, Niger.
In addition to threats posed by AQIM and potential hostage takers, confrontations between the Malian military and Tuareg rebel groups occurred in Nampala (along Mali’s border with Mauritania) in December 2008 and in the region of Kidal in January 2009. The threat posed by AQIM, continued Tuareg unrest, sporadic banditry, and the porous nature of Mali’s northern borders with Algeria, Niger, and Mauritania all reinforce longstanding security concerns affecting travel to northern Mali.
The Department of State notes that the U.S. Embassy in Bamako has designated the northern regions of Mali as “restricted without prior authorization” for purposes of travel by U.S. government employees, contractors, grantees and their dependents. Prior to traveling to these areas U.S. government employees are required to have the written approval of the U.S. Ambassador to Mali. This designation is based on the presence of AQIM, as well as Tuareg rebel activity and banditry. Though this restriction does not apply to private U.S. citizens, it should be taken into account by all Americans contemplating travel to Mali. The restriction is in effect for the following areas:
-The region of Kidal;
-The region of Gao including the road to Ansongo and the border with Niger;
-The region of Timbuktu.
U.S. citizens are specifically reminded that the restricted areas include Essakane, site of the popular “Festival au Desert” musical event, as well as many other musical and cultural festivals in the regions of Kidal and Gao that are traditionally held between December and February. It should be noted that in addition to the potential terrorist and criminal threats, these celebrations are located in some of the most remote destinations on earth and the Embassy would have extreme difficulty rendering assistance should an emergency occur there.
All U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Mali are urged to register with the Department of State or the U.S. Embassy in Bamako through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov. By registering, U.S. citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency. The U.S. Embassy is located at ACI 2000 at Rue 243, Porte 297. The Embassy’s mailing address is B.P. 34, Bamako, Mali. The telephone number is (223) 2070-2300. The consular fax number is (223) 2070-2340. The Embassy webpage is http://mali.usembassy.gov.
Updated information on travel and security in Mali may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free within the United States and Canada or, for callers outside of the United States and Canada, on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. For further information, please consult the Country Specific Information for Mali and the Worldwide Caution, which are available on the Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at http://travel.state.gov.