Mali concerns

The Department of State advises avoiding travel to northern Mali. Areas of particular concern include the Mali-Niger and Mali-Algeria borders, the Kidal region and the city of Tinzawaten. The presence of a terrorist organization and other armed groups in the north present potential dangers.

On Aug. 26-27, 2007, Tuareg dissidents attacked and kidnapped civilian and military convoys near the Mali-Niger border. On Aug. 30, a truck transporting civilians from Algeria to Tinzawaten hit a land mine, killing at least 14 people. In September 2007, the Malian military garrison at Tinzawaten clashed with armed rebels. The area remains unstable.