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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 132608 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CASC PTER ASEC SO KE
SUBJECT: TRAVEL WARNING: SOMALIA 
 
STATE 00132608  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. The State Department warns U.S. citizens of the risks 
of travel to Somalia and recommends that U.S. citizens 
avoid all travel to Somalia.  This replaces the Travel 
Warning dated November 15 2008, to update information on 
security concerns. 
 
¶2. The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against 
all travel to Somalia, including northern Somalia.  On 
September 17, 2009, terrorists launched a coordinated 
suicide-bomb attack against an African Union (AU) 
peacekeeping base, involving multiple car bombs against 
local and international targets.  In another attack on 
December 3, 2009, suicide bombers killed three Somalia 
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) ministers during a 
graduation ceremony for Banadir University medical 
students in Mogadishu.  There is no U.S. Embassy or 
other U.S. diplomatic presence in Somalia. 
Consequently, the U.S. Government is not in a position 
to assist or effectively provide services to U.S. 
citizens in Somalia. 
 
¶3. Terrorist operatives and armed groups in Somalia have 
demonstrated their intent and capability to attack air 
operations at Mogadishu International Airport. 
Kidnapping, murder, illegal roadblocks, banditry, and 
other violent incidents and threats to U.S. citizens and 
other foreigners can occur in many regions.  Inter-clan 
and inter-factional fighting flares up with little or no 
warning.  Unpredictable armed conflicts among rival 
militias are prevalent in southern Somalia, particularly 
in and around Mogadishu.  This has resulted in the 
deaths of hundreds of Somali nationals and the 
displacement of nearly one million people. 
 
¶4. The Sanaag and Sool Regions in eastern Somaliland, 
bordering on Puntland (northeastern Somalia), are 
particularly unsafe due to ongoing border disputes and 
inter-clan fighting.  Lines of control in Mogadishu are 
unclear and frequently shift, making movement within 
Mogadishu extremely hazardous.  There also have been 
several fatal attacks and violent kidnappings against 
international relief workers throughout Somalia, 
Somaliland, and Puntland.  In July 2009, a U.S. relief 
worker was kidnapped from a Kenyan border town and held 
in Somalia for over two months before being released. 
 
¶5. U.S. citizens are urged to use extreme caution when 
sailing near the coast of Somalia.  Merchant vessels, 
fishing boats, and recreational craft all risk seizure 
by pirates and having their crews held for ransom in the 
waters off the Horn of Africa, especially in the 
international waters near Somalia.  If transit around 
the Horn of Africa is necessary, it is strongly 
recommended that vessels travel in convoys, and maintain 
good communications contact at all times. 
 
¶6. U.S. citizens who travel to Somalia despite this 
Travel Warning are urged to register through the State 
Department's travel registration website, 
https://travelregistration.state.gov and obtain updated 
information on travel and security from the U.S. 
Embassies in neighboring countries.  Travelers to the 
self-declared ?Republic of Somaliland? should register 
with the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti, and travelers to 
Puntland or southern Somalia should register with the 
U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. 
 
¶7. The U.S. Embassy in Djibouti is located at Plateau du 
Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti City; 
telephone (253) 35-39-95; after-hours telephone number 
 
STATE 00132608  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
(253) 35-13-43.  The mailing address is Ambassade 
Americaine, B.P. 185, Djibouti, Republique de Djibouti, 
and their workweek is Sunday through Thursday.  The U.S. 
Embassy in Nairobi is located on United Nations Avenue, 
Gigiri, Nairobi, Kenya; telephone (254)(20) 363-6000; 
after-hours emergencies (254)(20) 363-6170.  The mailing 
address is P.O. Box 606 Village Market 00621, Nairobi, 
Kenya. 
 
¶8. U.S. citizens should also consult the Department of 
State's Country Specific Information for Somalia and the 
Worldwide Caution, which are located on the Department's 
internet website at http://travel.state.gov.  Travelers 
may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions 
by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. or 
outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1- 
202-501-4444. 
 
¶9. Minimize considered. 
CLINTON