On Jan. 16, a group linked to the militant Islamist organization al-Qaeda attacked the large Ain Aménas natural gas plant in eastern Algeria. After four days of the siege, Algerian forces stormed the facility. In the end, 37 hostages and 29 militants had been killed. Nearly 700 Algerians and 100 foreigners survived.
The US Department of State warns of a high threat of terrorism and of kidnapping of Western nationals in Algeria and notes that the majority of terrorist attacks occur east and south of Algiers. The French government has advised against travel to the entire Sahel region, including Algeria, Mauritania, Mali and Niger.
Algeria and Mali share a long border, and there is concern that jihadists being pushed back in Mali may instigate further attacks in Algeria.