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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 001633 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CASC PTER ASEC ML
SUBJECT: TRAVEL ALERT - MALI 
 
¶1.  This Travel Alert is being issued to alert U.S. 
citizens of a kidnapping threat against Westerners who 
attend the "Festival in the Desert" at Essakane (65 
kilometres north of Timbuktu) from January 8-10, and to 
reiterate that visitors should avoid northern Mali, 
including Essakane and Essouk (500 kilometers north east 
of Timbuktu) where the "Sahara Nights" festival is held. 
This replaces the Travel Alert for Mali issued on 
December 10, 2008 to update information on areas of 
concern, and to strongly urge U.S. citizens against 
travel to northern Mali.  It expires on April 15, 2009. 
 
¶2.  Because of recent armed conflicts, kidnappings, armed 
robberies, and the continued presence of Al-Qaeda in the 
Land of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Department of 
State strongly urges that U.S. citizens avoid all travel 
to northern Mali.  AQIM has been designated as a 
terrorist organization by the United States.  The 
presence of AQIM and Tuareg rebel groups in northern Mali 
presents serious potential dangers to travelers. 
¶3.  Areas of particular concern include the Mali-Niger, 
Mali-Algeria, and Mali-Mauritania borders, the Kidal 
region, and areas north of Timbuktu, including Essakane. 
The Department of State has information that Westerners 
attending Timbuktu's Festival in the Desert at Essakane, 
scheduled for January 8-10, 2009, may be targeted for 
kidnapping. 
¶4.  Travelers in Mali should be aware that visits by U.S. 
government employees to Timbuktu, the region of Kidal, 
and areas to the north and east of the town of Gao, must 
be approved by the Embassy's Chief of Mission due to 
security concerns.  Individuals traveling north of 
Timbuktu or to the region of Kidal often travel with 
Malian military escorts.  However, an August 2007 attack 
by Tuareg rebels on a convoy escorted by Malian military 
personnel illustrates that this does not ensure safety. 
 
¶5.  While the government of Mali is working to strengthen 
security in northern Mali and achieve a peaceful 
settlement with Tuareg rebels, northern Mali remains 
unstable.  On December 20, 2008, Tuareg rebels attacked 
the Malian military base in Nampala, the northernmost 
town in the central region of Segou.  Subsequent security 
incidents involving Tuareg rebels occurred near the towns 
of Nara, Goumbou, and Mouridah in the region of Koulikoro 
on December 24-27.  On October 31, 2008, in northern 
Mali, AQIM freed two Austrian tourists kidnapped in 
Tunisia eight months earlier.  On October 16, 2008, 
bandits in the Kidal region of Mali carjacked two 
vehicles belonging to the International Committee for the 
Red Cross.  Disparate Tuareg rebel groups attacked Malian 
military units in Tessalit in July 2008, in Abeibara in 
May 2008, and in Tinzawaten and Bourghessa in March 
¶2008.  On January 3, 2008, four Italians were robbed at 
gunpoint near Araouane, Mali, 150 miles north of Timbuktu 
by assailants whose affiliation remains unknown. 
¶6.  In September 2007, armed rebels attacked the Malian 
military garrison at Tinzawaten.  On August 30, 2007, a 
truck transporting civilians from Algeria to Tinzawaten, 
Mali, hit a landmine, killing at least 14 people.  On 
August 26-27, 2007, Tuareg dissidents attacked and 
kidnapped civilian and military convoys near the Mali- 
Niger border. 
¶7.  All American citizens residing or traveling in Mali 
are urged to register with the Department of State or the 
U.S. Embassy through the State Department's travel 
registration website, 
https://travelregistration.state.gov.  By registering, 
American citizens make it easier for the Embassy to 
contact them in case of emergency.  The U.S. Embassy is 
located at ACI 2000 at Rue 243, Porte 297.  The Embassy's 
 
STATE 00001633  002 OF 002 
 
 
mailing address is B.P. 34, Bamako, Mali.  The telephone 
number is (223) 2070-2300.  The consular fax number is 
(223) 2070-2340.  The Embassy webpage is 
http://mali.usembassy.gov. 
¶8.  Updated information on travel and security in Mali 
may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 
1-888-407-4747 toll-free within the United States and 
Canada, or, for callers outside of the United States and 
Canada, on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.  For 
further information, please consult the Country Specific 
Information for Mali and the Worldwide Caution, which are 
available on the Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet 
website at http://travel.state.gov. 
¶9.  Minimize considered. 
RICE