Violence up in Chad

This item appears on page 18 of the January 2010 issue.

The Department of State recommends avoiding all travel to eastern Chad and the Chad/Central African Republic border area due to recently increased levels of violent crime (including robbery and carjacking at gunpoint, kidnapping and murder); the continuing risk of clashes between Chadian government and rebel forces, and political tension between Chad and Sudan.

If rebels approach the capital, N’djamena, the US Embassy may decide to evacuate nonemergency personnel as was done in June 2008. Criminal and rebel activity tends to increase during the dry season, from late September to July.