Madrid, 5 March, 2010
The Directorate-General for Foreign Communication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation hereby issues the following communiqué:
With regard to information published today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation reminds travellers of the recommendations published, in the case of Mali, on it website:
“Following the kidnapping of a French subject on 26 November in Menaka, in the Gao region, there is an extremely high risk of westerners being kidnapped in the three northern regions (Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal), including the cities of Timbuktu and Gao. We therefore advise travellers to keep away from this area, and urge any Spanish nationals already in the region to leave and move to the capital, Bamako.
We also advise travellers to stay away from the region of Mopti on the border of the region of Timbuktu, including the Douentza-Hombori highway.
It is also advisable to stay away from the area around the border with Mauritania, along the Aourou, Nioro, Nara, Sokolo, Nampala, Lere and Youwarou roads”.
These recommendations are based on reliable information. Consequently, we reiterate the importance of adhering strictly to these recom