Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09STATE1633
2009-01-08 01:47:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Secretary of State
Cable title:  

TRAVEL ALERT - MALI

Tags:  CASC PTER ASEC ML 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 001633 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CASC PTER ASEC ML
SUBJECT: TRAVEL ALERT - MALI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 001633

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CASC PTER ASEC ML
SUBJECT: TRAVEL ALERT - MALI


1. This Travel Alert is being issued to alert U.S.
citizens of a kidnapping threat against Westerners who
attend the "Festival in the Desert" at Essakane (65
kilometres north of Timbuktu) from January 8-10, and to
reiterate that visitors should avoid northern Mali,
including Essakane and Essouk (500 kilometers north east
of Timbuktu) where the "Sahara Nights" festival is held.
This replaces the Travel Alert for Mali issued on
December 10, 2008 to update information on areas of
concern, and to strongly urge U.S. citizens against
travel to northern Mali. It expires on April 15, 2009.


2. Because of recent armed conflicts, kidnappings, armed
robberies, and the continued presence of Al-Qaeda in the
Land of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM),the Department of
State strongly urges that U.S. citizens avoid all travel
to northern Mali. AQIM has been designated as a
terrorist organization by the United States. The
presence of AQIM and Tuareg rebel groups in northern Mali
presents serious potential dangers to travelers.

3. Areas of particular concern include the Mali-Niger,
Mali-Algeria, and Mali-Mauritania borders, the Kidal
region, and areas north of Timbuktu, including Essakane.
The Department of State has information that Westerners
attending Timbuktu's Festival in the Desert at Essakane,
scheduled for January 8-10, 2009, may be targeted for
kidnapping.

4. Travelers in Mali should be aware that visits by U.S.
government employees to Timbuktu, the region of Kidal,
and areas to the north and east of the town of Gao, must
be approved by the Embassy's Chief of Mission due to
security concerns. Individuals traveling north of
Timbuktu or to the region of Kidal often travel with
Malian military escorts. However, an August 2007 attack
by Tuareg rebels on a convoy escorted by Malian military
personnel illustrates that this does not ensure safety.


5. While the government of Mali is working to strengthen
security in northern Mali and achieve a peaceful
settlement with Tuareg rebels, northern Mali remains
unstable. On December 20, 2008, Tuareg rebels attacked
the Malian military base in Nampala, the northernmost
town in the central region of Segou. Subsequent security
incidents involving Tuareg rebels occurred near the towns
of Nara, Goumbou, and Mouridah in the region of Koulikoro
on December 24-27. On October 31, 2008, in northern
Mali, AQIM freed two Austrian tourists kidnapped in
Tunisia eight months earlier. On October 16, 2008,
bandits in the Kidal region of Mali carjacked two
vehicles belonging to the International Committee for the
Red Cross. Disparate Tuareg rebel groups attacked Malian
military units in Tessalit in July 2008, in Abeibara in
May 2008, and in Tinzawaten and Bourghessa in March

2008. On January 3, 2008, four Italians were robbed at
gunpoint near Araouane, Mali, 150 miles north of Timbuktu
by assailants whose affiliation remains unknown.

6. In September 2007, armed rebels attacked the Malian
military garrison at Tinzawaten. On August 30, 2007, a
truck transporting civilians from Algeria to Tinzawaten,
Mali, hit a landmine, killing at least 14 people. On
August 26-27, 2007, Tuareg dissidents attacked and
kidnapped civilian and military convoys near the Mali-
Niger border.

7. All American citizens residing or traveling in Mali
are urged to register with the Department of State or the
U.S. Embassy through the State Department's travel
registration website,
https://travelregistration.state.gov. By registering,
American 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

STATE 00001633 002 OF 002


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.

8. 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.

9. Minimize considered.
RICE