May 2009

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As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 29 destinations: Yemen, Colombia, Madagascar, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Pakistan, Eritrea, Syria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Philippines, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Burundi, Sri Lanka, Côte d’Ivoire, Georgia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Nepal, Somalia, Chad, Kenya, Iran, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Iraq and Central African Republic. 

For details, call the State Department at 202/647-5225 or visit http://
travel.state.gov/travel/warnings.html.

An oil spill struck at least 40 miles of beaches on the coast of Queensland, Australia, and nearby Moreton and Bribie islands. In rough seas during Cyclone Hamish on March 11, thirty-one containers of ammonium nitrate fertilizer fell off a cargo ship, subsequently puncturing two of the ship’s tanks and releasing 250 tons of heavy fuel oil.

In Southern Africa, extreme rainfalls since the beginning of the year have caused flooding, displacing thousands of people and leading to about 100 deaths. A state of emergency has been declared in north-central and north-eastern Namibia, the worst hit. Flooding also has affected Angola, northern Botswana, southern Malawi, Mozambique and most of Zambia.

CHOLERA — Cases of cholera have been reported in all of Zimbabwe’s provinces and in many other African nations. From Aug. 26, 2008, through March 16, 2009, 91,265 suspected cases and 4,030 deaths were reported in Zimbabwe. The disease is spread through untreated sewage and contaminated drinking water.

MENINGITIS — Since January 2009, health officials in India have reported 230 deaths and 2,000 possible cases of meningitis in the northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram. 

While security in Colombia has improved significantly in recent years, small towns and rural areas of Colombia still can be extremely dangerous due to the presence of narcoterrorists, and in both urban and rural areas common crime remains a significant problem. The level of violence in Buenaventura remains high.

Extortion-related bombings have occurred recently in Bogota (Jan. 27 in a commercial building, with two fatalities), Cali and several smaller cities. Many expatriates frequent the neighborhoods where the explosions occurred. 

In light of the threat of terrorist activity, the Department of State warns against nonessential travel to Pakistan, especially the western border regions. Avoid hotels that do not apply security measures, and remain aware in locations frequented by Westerners.

Due to the continued presence of terrorist groups, there is an ongoing security threat in Saudi Arabia, according to the State Department.

Travelers are urged to avoid staying in hotels or housing compounds that do not apply stringent security measures and to be aware of their surroundings when visiting establishments frequented by Westerners. Americans are advised to keep a low profile; vary times and routes of travel; exercise caution while driving, entering or exiting vehicles, and ensure that travel documents are current.

On March 4, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omer Al-Bashir for war crimes committed in Darfur. The government of Sudan then began expelling aid groups from the country, publicly calling humanitarian aid workers “spies.”

The Department of State recommends deferring all travel to Sudan due to uncertain security conditions following the expulsion of the NGOs as well as harassment of humanitarian aid workers and Westerners in general.