This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/27/britons-warned-leave-somaliland-threat
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Britons warned to leave Somaliland after 'specific threat' | Britons warned to leave Somaliland after 'specific threat' |
| (30 days later) | |
| British citizens have been urged to leave Somaliland because of a "specific threat" to westerners in the east African country, the Foreign Office has said – just days after issuing a similar warning to Britons in the Libyan city of Benghazi. | British citizens have been urged to leave Somaliland because of a "specific threat" to westerners in the east African country, the Foreign Office has said – just days after issuing a similar warning to Britons in the Libyan city of Benghazi. |
| Existing government advice is to avoid all travel to Somalia, but the new risk has emerged in Somaliland, a former British protectorate to the north which seceded from Somalia in 1991 and which has been relatively peaceful compared to the violent south and centre. | Existing government advice is to avoid all travel to Somalia, but the new risk has emerged in Somaliland, a former British protectorate to the north which seceded from Somalia in 1991 and which has been relatively peaceful compared to the violent south and centre. |
| UK nationals should "leave immediately", the FCO said. "Kidnapping for financial or political gain, motivated by criminality or terrorism, remains a threat throughout Somalia," it added. | UK nationals should "leave immediately", the FCO said. "Kidnapping for financial or political gain, motivated by criminality or terrorism, remains a threat throughout Somalia," it added. |
| The warning appeared to have been issued on the back of intelligence information. No further details were available. Somalia as a whole has been the focus of security concerns in western countries because of the activities of al-Shabaab, a local militant group with links to al-Qaida. | The warning appeared to have been issued on the back of intelligence information. No further details were available. Somalia as a whole has been the focus of security concerns in western countries because of the activities of al-Shabaab, a local militant group with links to al-Qaida. |
| British government agencies appear to have been in a state of heightened alert in north Africa, the Sahel and the Middle East since 38 hostages were killed in a jihadi attack on Algeria's In Amenas gas complex near the Libyan border earlier this month. The launch of France's military operations in Mali has also fuelled tensions in the Maghreb region, which David Cameron has called a "magnet for jihadists". | British government agencies appear to have been in a state of heightened alert in north Africa, the Sahel and the Middle East since 38 hostages were killed in a jihadi attack on Algeria's In Amenas gas complex near the Libyan border earlier this month. The launch of France's military operations in Mali has also fuelled tensions in the Maghreb region, which David Cameron has called a "magnet for jihadists". |
| Last week's FCO call for British nationals to leave Benghazi was issued because of information about an al-Qaida plot to kidnap UK and German citizens, the Spiegel weekly magazine quoted sources in Germany's BND intelligence service as saying. Britain cited a "specific and imminent" threat but officials declined to give any further details. Security sources in Libya said they feared another attack on a western gas or oil facility. | Last week's FCO call for British nationals to leave Benghazi was issued because of information about an al-Qaida plot to kidnap UK and German citizens, the Spiegel weekly magazine quoted sources in Germany's BND intelligence service as saying. Britain cited a "specific and imminent" threat but officials declined to give any further details. Security sources in Libya said they feared another attack on a western gas or oil facility. |
| Germany's foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, described the situation in Benghazi, cradle of the uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, as "serious and delicate". | Germany's foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, described the situation in Benghazi, cradle of the uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, as "serious and delicate". |
| Benghazi has been tense and sporadically violent since last September's assault on the US consulate in which the US ambassador to Libya was killed along with three other Americans. A radical group called Ansar al-Sharia was blamed for the attack. Last summer the British ambassador escaped unharmed when a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at his car. | Benghazi has been tense and sporadically violent since last September's assault on the US consulate in which the US ambassador to Libya was killed along with three other Americans. A radical group called Ansar al-Sharia was blamed for the attack. Last summer the British ambassador escaped unharmed when a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at his car. |
| The Foreign Office gave no estimate for the numbers of Britons currently in Somaliland but there are known to be some with dual Somali and British nationality as well as NGO personnel. There is no British representation in any part of Somalia. The nearest consular assistance is in Addis Ababa or Nairobi. | The Foreign Office gave no estimate for the numbers of Britons currently in Somaliland but there are known to be some with dual Somali and British nationality as well as NGO personnel. There is no British representation in any part of Somalia. The nearest consular assistance is in Addis Ababa or Nairobi. |
| Reports over the weekend, meanwhile, said that a UN report had linked British citizens to Somali piracy. According to the Times a 2012 document by the UN's monitoring group on Somalia and Eritrea included a secret annex naming a British businessman of Somali origin as one of the key organisers of a pirate kidnapping in 2009. | Reports over the weekend, meanwhile, said that a UN report had linked British citizens to Somali piracy. According to the Times a 2012 document by the UN's monitoring group on Somalia and Eritrea included a secret annex naming a British businessman of Somali origin as one of the key organisers of a pirate kidnapping in 2009. |
| The annex said the businessman was responsible for "co-organising hijackings and abductions" and was directly involved in the abduction of Paul and Rachel Chandler, a British couple held captive for 13 months before a ransom was paid in 2010. | The annex said the businessman was responsible for "co-organising hijackings and abductions" and was directly involved in the abduction of Paul and Rachel Chandler, a British couple held captive for 13 months before a ransom was paid in 2010. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe. |