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Congo Travel Warning

Disclaimer: Please note that we at Sunburst International Risk Management provides Travel Information as a value-added service to our international clients and visitors of this website. We update our posting frequently, in order to provide you with current and reliable travel alerts as quickly as we can. However, Travel Warnings posted on this website are subject to change without notice. We suggest that you also check with the State Department and other governmental agencies regarding the safety in the your destinations before you leave.

On April 22, 2010, the U.S. Department of State released the following Travel Warning:

The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the risks of traveling to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa). This notice replaces the Travel Warning dated September 1, 2009 to reflect continued instability in North Kivu province and the surrounding area, the ongoing risk of possible unannounced flare-ups of violence in other parts of the country, and the critical crime threat in Kinshasa.

Government soldiers, as well as rebel fighters, remain a security concern. These armed groups -- located especially in North Kivu, South Kivu, Orientale, and Bas-Congo provinces, as well as the northern part of Katanga province -- are known to pillage, steal vehicles, kidnap, rape, kill, and carry out military or paramilitary operations in which civilians are indiscriminately targeted.

In two separate incidents in early April 2010, one in Equateur province in the western DRC and one in South Kivu province in the east, foreigners were kidnapped by armed militia groups. In South Kivu province, eight International Red Cross workers were kidnapped by a group called the Mai Mai Yakutumba, a group that controls its own territory in the region and was formed to resist Rwandan Hutu forces that fled into DR Congo after the 1994 genocide. The region has been the scene of violent clashes that have resulted in the displacement of thousands of civilians in recent months.

Travelers are frequently detained and questioned by poorly disciplined security forces at numerous official and unofficial roadblocks and border crossings throughout the country. Requests for bribes in such instances are extremely common, and security forces have occasionally injured or killed people who refuse to pay. In the last six months, the Embassy has recorded several instances in which U.S. citizens were detained illegally by government forces. The isolation of the area makes the provision of consular services difficult.

Kinshasa remains a critical crime threat area, and U.S. citizens continue to be the victims of serious crime, including armed robbery by groups posing as law enforcement.

Public health concerns pose a hazard to U.S. citizen travelers due to outbreaks of deadly viruses and other diseases, which can occur without warning and often are not rapidly reported by local health authorities. Information on personal protection for international travelers, including children, can be found at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/.

Enforcement of aviation safety standards in the DRC is uneven, with frequent incidents and accidents. The U.S. Embassy has prohibited official travel by U.S. government employees and contractors on all DRC-owned and -operated commercial airlines due to safety and maintenance concerns. International flights on foreign-owned and operated carriers are not affected by this prohibition.

U.S. citizens should avoid all public demonstrations and areas where crowds have gathered, exercise caution, and closely monitor local and international news from reliable sources. Radio Okapi broadcasts in French on 103.5 FM at 0700, 0800, 1200, and 1800 and provides updates throughout the day. English-language news can be found on BBC at 92.7 FM. In times of emergency, the Belgian Embassy operates a French-language radio broadcast system at FM 98.8. Changes in security conditions may occasionally restrict the travel of U.S. Mission personnel.

U.S. citizens who travel to or remain in the DRC despite this Travel Warning are strongly urged to register with the Embassy in Kinshasa or through the State Department’s travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov. By registering, U.S. citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency. The U.S. Embassy is located at 310 Avenue des Aviateurs; the Consular Section entrance is located on Avenue Dumi, opposite Saint Anne’s church. The Embassy’s telephone number, including for after-hours emergencies, is 243-81-225-5872; callers within the DRC should dial 081-225-5872. All Embassy telephone numbers are cellular phones as landlines are unreliable. The Embassy web site is http://kinshasa.usembassy.gov/.

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INTERNATIONAL SECURITY NEWS BRIEFS:
Please note that we at Sunburst International Risk Management provides the International Security News Briefs as a value-added service to our international clients and visitors of this website. Our International Security News Briefs are updated frequently, in order to provide you with current and reliable news and events as quickly as we can. We have no control over the content of external websites, and links to various external news sources may become inactive at any time. We suggest that you bookmark our website and return frequently to check the current global news posted on our website.

Mexico Spring Break Tourism Falls Amid Violence, Universal Says February 22, 2011
Western Hemisphere > Mexico > Acapulco; Western Hemisphere > Mexico > Mazatlan
Foreign tourism may fall as much as 88 percent in Acapulco this year as spring breakers cancel trips because of reports of violence, El Universal reported. more...

MULTINATIONALS KEEP EGYPT OFFICES SHUT, WORKERS HOME February 2, 2011
Multinational companies had no immediate plans to reopen Egyptian offices or bring back evacuated employees after President Hosni Mubarak's attempt to restore stability failed to placate protesters.

Bangkok raises security to high alert after recent blasts September 03, 2010
BANGKOK : Thailand has put over 460 locations across Bangkok on high alert on Friday in response to a series of grenade attacks that have rattled nerves in a city still under emergency rule after deadly protests. Royal palaces, key government buildings, power plants and public transport will receive special protection from the Centre for Resolution of Emergency Situation (CRES), the body set up to monitor security since unrest in April.

Alleged terrorism plot targeted Canada August 27, 2010
Americas - Canada Three Ontario men accused of taking part in a domestic terrorist plot and possessing plans and materials to create makeshift bombs had allegedly selected specific targets in Canada, sources told CBC News. more...

Thailand's PM declares emergency April 7, 2010
Thailand's prime minister declares a state of emergency in Bangkok amid growing anti-government protests. In a televised address, Mr Abhisit said the move - which gives sweeping new powers to the security forces to tackle protesters - would help restore order. It comes hours after thousands of "red-shirt" protesters marched on parliament - forcing MPs to flee the building.

1,000 Die Of TB In India Every Day, Says WHO March 25, 2010
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 5,000 Indians develop TB and nearly 1,000 people die from it every day - the equivalent of two deaths every three minutes. Yesterday was World TB Day, organised by the Stop TB Partnership, a network of organisations and countries fighting the disease, which currently infects one-third of the world’s population, according to the WHO.

Strong aftershock rattles Haiti January 20, 2010
A strong aftershock rocks Haiti, sending panicked people into the streets, eight days after another devastating earthquake.

Terror groups gaining Western recruits October 19, 2009
German security services have been on high alert since last month, ... The agents provide guidance, money, travel routes and even letters of recommendation ...

Massive flooding leaves 140 dead in Philippines East Asia / Pacific - Philippines 09/28/2009
The Philippine government has appealed for international help after massive flooding set off by a tropical storm at the weekend left at least 140 dead.

China Bars Foreigners From Making Visits to Tibet September 25, 2009
China has stopped issuing travel documents to foreigners seeking to visit Tibet, according to local tour operators, another indicator of the government’s skittishness over the coming anniversary of the Communist victory in 1949.

Citizens seek new Nigeria in the new year January 03, 2009
The Guardian - Nigeria - Lagos,Nigeria
THE urgent imperative of a new and better Nigeria was the fulcrum of New Year messages across the country yesterday. From Senate President David Mark came a charge to Nigerians to renew their faith in Nigeria to facilitate the desired development of the country. ... if we must rescue the country from the hands of self-serving and bankrupt leaders who have impoverished the people and held them to ransom. ...

Caracas named 'murder capital of world' January 02, 2009
Americas - Venezuela At least 510 people were killed in Caracas, Venezuela, in December, giving support to a recent report that called the city the murder capital of the world.

9 Muslim Passengers Removed From Jet January 02, 2009
Others on Flight Say a Remark Was 'Suspicious'
Officials ordered nine Muslim passengers, including three young children, off an AirTran flight headed to Orlando from Reagan National Airport yesterday afternoon after two other passengers overheard what they thought was a suspicious remark.

East Asia / Pacific - Thailand
Muslim insurgency stokes fear in southern Thailand Feb. 26, 2007
PATTANI, Thailand: Some are already calling it war, a brutal Muslim separatist insurgency in southern Thailand that has taken as many as 2,000 lives in three years, with almost- daily bombings, drive-by shootings, arson and beheadings.

Sub-Saharan Africa - Nigeria
Lockdown in Nigeria Feb. 12, 2007
Port Harcourt, Nigeria - Oil companies in Port Harcourt, the main city in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta, have reinforced security for their staff following a wave of kidnappings and attacks, industry sources said on Monday.

Americas - Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia
Dengue alert issued in S America Feb. 8, 2007
A health alert has been declared in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia after an outbreak of dengue fever. The authorities have blamed higher rainfall this season as a cause of the unusually rapid spread of the disease.

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Europe - Russia Feb. 5, 2007
Registration Rules Stir Up Confusion
Moscow, Russia: According to a new law that came into effect Jan. 15, foreigners are now required to hand over their registration papers to migration officials -- via their employer or other sponsor -- every time they leave the country and re-register upon subsequent entry into the country.

Europe - Netherlands
North Sea Airborne Chemical Danger 1/30/07
U.S. Consulate General Amsterdam issued this warning to U.S. Citizens traveling to and residing in the Netherlands that the Consulate has been informed that a ship fire west of Amsterdam is releasing large amounts of Hydrogen-Cyanide and Carbon-Monoxide into the air, which is blowing east towards Amsterdam and north towards Beverwijk and Zaanstad.

Kidnap group leader nabbed East Asia / Pacific - Philippines
LINGAYEN -- A leader of the Pepino kidnap-for-ransom group was arrested Wednesday in Bolinao, Pangasinan Wednesday, police officials said.

Tensions mount in Bolivian region
Americas - Bolivia Bolivia's central government has said it will not recognise a parallel administration set up by protesters in the central state of Cochabamba. The demonstrators, mainly coca leaf growers who back President Evo Morales, want the local governor, who is aligned with the opposition, to resign.

Foreign Workers Freed in Nigeria

Sub-Saharan Africa - Nigeria Five Chinese workers kidnapped in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta region have been freed. Unidentified gunmen seized the group of telecommunications engineers near the city of Port Harcourt on 5 January.

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Caracas named 'murder capital of world' January 02, 2009 Americas - Venezuela At least 510 people were killed in Caracas, Venezuela, in December, giving support to a recent report that called the city the murder capital of the world.

Caracas named 'murder capital of world' January 02, 2009
Americas - Venezuela At least 510 people were killed in Caracas, Venezuela, in December, giving support to a recent report that called the city the murder capital of the world.