US advises against traveling to Niger after kidnapping
The US warned its citizens not to go to Niger on Friday, listing crime, unrest, terrorism, health risks, and kidnapping as reasons not to go.
The State Department warning comes after an American missionary was taken hostage in Niamey, the city of Niger, last week.
It tells Americans that they should never go to Niger and that the U.S. government can’t help Americans outside of Niamey because of safety concerns.
As of Thursday, the State Department gave permission for all family members of government workers to leave for the same reason.
The department said that government workers in Niger have to drive in armored vehicles and follow a curfew. They are also not allowed in restaurants or open-air markets.
This year, kidnappings seem to have gotten worse in West African countries where terrorists operate. In Niger, an Austrian woman was taken hostage in January and a Swiss citizen in April.
Also, in April, five Indian workers for a company doing work for Niger’s Kandadji dam project were abducted during an attack by armed men that killed a dozen soldiers.
A similar Level 4 travel warning has been sent out for neighboring Mali, where insurgents with ties to al-Qaeda are putting more pressure on the government.
