Mauritania danger

The US Department of State urges extreme caution for those who choose to travel in Mauritania.

The US Embassy in Nouakchott recommends against all nonessential travel to the border regions of Guidimagha, the Hodh El Charghi and Hodh El Gharbi regions of southeastern Mauritania, the eastern half of the Assaba region (east of Kiffa), the eastern half of the Tagant region (east of Tidjika), the eastern half of the Adrar region (east of Chinguetti) and the Zemmour region of northern Mauritania because of the security risk to and the threat of kidnapping of Westerners by the terrorist group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

As a result of perceived Western involvement in counterterrorism efforts, AQIM has declared its intention to attack Western targets. While military intervention has moved active terrorist operations to the Malian border regions, AQIM-affiliated support systems for logistics and information are present in Mauritania.

Additionally, the rebellion and subsequent coup in Mali have given terrorist groups such as AQIM the opportunity to establish territorial claims in the contested region of northern Mali. This, coupled with the influx of tens of thousands of Malian refugees into Mauritania, presents additional safety and security concerns.