The UK’s Foreign Office has issued an update for British travellers. Officials have flagged 54 nations as places to avoid due to serious safety concerns, with a number of African countries making the list.
Brits are advised to avoid all travel to to 11 countries in Africa. These are:
- Chad
- Niger
- Libya
- Mali
- Burkina Faso
- Central African Republic
- Sudan
- South Sudan
- Somalia
- Yemen
- Mozambique
The FCDO’s (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) red list now also includes:
- Russia
- Belarus
- Ukraine
- Iran
- Lebanon
- Mayotte
- New Caledonia
There are also 19 countries named where travel to certain areas should be avoided. These are: Algeria, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Tunisia, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of the Congo, Angola, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire.
Jonny Bealby, founder of Wild Frontiers, says that travellers should follow advice, but also keep a sensible perspective: “While the world may seem like a more dangerous place, with 24/7 rolling news bringing us hourly updates from troubled regions particularly from the Middle East it’s worth remembering that statistically the chances of British travellers coming to harm virtually anywhere in the world is remarkably small.”
Jonny added: “The Government’s advice is just that, advice, and while one should certainly take it seriously, and be aware that it might affect your travel insurance, the acceptable risk any traveller is prepared to take will vary.
“We recognise the FCDO has a difficult job evaluating risk sometimes we feel they get it spot on, sometimes we feel they are overcautious, and it’s always going to be impossible to please everyone. We also understand the issues of travelling against FDCO advice, and why people might want to avoid doing so. Besides, there are still countless fabulous destinations that are not advised against that will still offer an incredible adventure Guatemala, Oman, Kyrgyzstan and Cambodia, to name a few.”