Effective May 4, 2012, the US Department of State issued the following updated travel warning for its citizens traveling in or resident in Algeria:
The US Department
of State warns its citizens of the risks of travel to Algeria. This
Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning
for Algeria dated September 19, 2011 to update
information on the current security situation in Algeria, the continuing
threat
posed by terrorism, and to reiterate information
on security incidents and recommendations on security awareness.
The
Department of State urges its citizens who travel to Algeria to
evaluate carefully the risks posed to their personal
safety. Terrorist attacks, including bombings,
false roadblocks, kidnappings, and ambushes occur regularly,
particularly in
rural areas such as the Kabylie region of the
country.
The use of suicide bomb attacks, particularly vehicle-borne
attacks,
emerged as a terrorist tactic in Algeria,
including in the capital, beginning in 2007. The group that claimed
credit for the
December 11, 2007 suicide car-bomb attacks in
Algiers has pledged more attacks against foreign targets and
specifically against US targets. The same group is believed to
operate in southern Algeria and to be linked to the kidnapping in
February 2011
of a western tourist in the southeast, near the
Nigerian border. This regional kidnapping threat was noted in the
Department
of State’s Worldwide Caution dated January 24,
2012.
The
Department of State recommends that US citizens AVOID overland travel
in Algeria.
US citizens who reside in or travel
to Algeria should take personal security
measures to include stocking adequate reserves of medicine, food, and
water for use
during an emergency. Additionally, sporadic
episodes of civil unrest have been known to occur, such as the riots in
Algiers
and many other cities from January 2011 to the
present. US citizens should avoid large crowds and maintain security
awareness
at all times. Visitors to Algeria are advised to
stay only in hotels where adequate security is provided. All visitors
to
Algeria should remain alert, avoid predictable
travel patterns and maintain a low profile.
The
US government considers the potential threat to US Embassy
personnel assigned to Algiers sufficiently serious to require
them to live and work under significant security
restrictions. These practices limit, and may occasionally prevent, the
movement
of US Embassy officials and the provision of
consular services in certain areas of the country. The Government of
Algeria
requires US Embassy personnel to seek
permission to travel to the Casbah within Algiers or outside the
province of Algiers
and to have a security escort. Travel to the
military zone established around the Hassi Messaoud oil center requires
Government
of Algeria authorization. Daily movement of
Embassy personnel in parts of Algiers is limited, and prudent security
practices
are required at all times. Travel by Embassy
personnel within certain areas of the city requires prior coordination
with the
US Embassy's Regional Security Office.
US
citizen visitors are encouraged to contact the Embassy's Consular
Section for
the most recent safety and security information
concerning travel in the city of Algiers.
The next Algerian parliamentary elections will be held on May 10, 2012. US citizens should avoid demonstrations and political
rallies of all kinds. Most political gatherings are peaceful, but they can turn violent without notice.
