Travel warnings: Timbuktu not safe but Sri Lanka safer
Dave BondThe UK government has issued a travel warning for Mali. Because of terrorism threats, they are urging British nationals to avoid Timbuktu, which is located in the northern part of the country.
The Foreign Office has updated its travel advisory to include the famous remote town.
It said that the risk of terrorism activities, kidnapping in particular, is currently high in Timbuktu.
Although local authorities have been insisting the threat of terrorism has been exaggerated. They commented that such moves contribute to severely hurt the local tourism industry.
Last June, British tourist Edwin Dyer was killed in the African country by a group which claimed to be associated with al-Qaeda. Also, other Westerners have been kidnapped for ransoms in the recent months.
Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis, who was visiting the area, said the region posed a real danger and that the situation may deteriorate further.
It wildly believed that the Sahara Desert represents the ideal hiding place for a somewhat small group of terrorists connected to al-Qaeda.
But people in the sleepy Timbuktu have insisted that the threats are blown out of proportion. Most local people claim the problems our far away from the town itself. Poverty, not terrorism, is the main threat, said the regional governor.
Timbuktu is hoping to attract further tourists by holding a special festival next month.
Meanwhile, a revision of a travel warning for the Asian country of Sri Lanka has been issued by the United States.
This move reflects the current and improved security situation on the island.
In America, travel advisories are issued by the Department of State. But it still warns US nationals about the likelihood of danger in regions of northern and eastern Sri Lanka.
The country is coming out of a 26-year civil war.
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Filed under Politics, Travel News, UK News, World News