As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 31 destinations: Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Kenya, Democratic People’s Republ
In December, a combination of the Tropical Storm Sendong (Washi) and continuing rains from stalled weather systems caused a series of floods in heavily populated coastal areas in the southern part of the Philippines.
Heavy rains in southwestern Kenya and in the Serengeti, Mt. Kilimanjaro and Arusha areas of northeastern Tanzania as well as the Mbeya region of southwestern Tanzania in late December caused floods and landslides that left at least 20 people dead and thousands homeless.
In Yemen, political and sectarian violence continued in the northern Saada province, where fighting between Houthi Shi’ite and hard-line Salafi Islamist factions killed nearly 200 people in December. Large areas of southern Yemen are also controlled by separatist militants.
The Republic of South Sudan separated from Sudan and became an independent nation on July 9, 2011. The US State Department strongly recommends avoiding all travel to the states in the border region between Sudan and South Sudan.
The Department of State alerts travelers to the potential for civil unrest and disturbances in Senegal prior to and directly following the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for Feb. 26.
The US Department of State warns that travel in all areas of Afghanistan remains unsafe due to military combat operations, land mines, banditry, armed rivalry between political and tribal groups, and the possibility of insurgent attacks.