State Department issues travel warning for Niger

[TomSea]

State Department issues travel warning for Niger
Mallory Shelbourne

The State Department on Monday urged United States citizens not to visit Niger's border regions in a travel warning that cited kidnappings by terrorist organizations.

The warning specifically said citizens should avoid visiting areas near Niger's border with Libya and Mali, in addition to the Lake Chad Basin and the Diffa region in the country's southeast.

“Terrorist organizations, armed groups, and smugglers operate in the areas bordering Mali, Libya, and throughout northern Niger,” the travel warning said. “Mali-based extremist groups have crossed the border and carried out multiple lethal attacks on Nigerien security forces (FDS) and on U.S. forces assisting the FDS.”

Continued at: http://thehill.com/policy/international/africa/357868-state-department-issues-niger-travel-warning-citing-terror