U.S. urges citizens to put off travel to Tunisia
"The U.S. Department of State alerts U.S. citizens to the intensifying political and social unrest in Tunisia and recommends deferring nonessential travel to Tunisia at this time," the State Department said in a travel alert.
At least five people suffered gunshot wounds in clashes with police in the centre of Tunisia's capital, Tunis, on Wednesday in a sharp escalation of the worst unrest in the country in decades.
The State Department's statement said the unrest has spread to Tunis and "all major cities, including popular tourist destinations." The events had been spontaneous and unpredictable and had several times turned violent, it said.
The unrest, in its fourth week, had been confined to provincial towns and working class suburbs on the outskirts of the capital.
"While these disturbances appear to be triggered by economic concerns, and not to be directed toward Westerners, U.S. citizens are urged to remain alert to local security developments and to be vigilant regarding their personal security," the travel alert said.
News From: www.reuters.com
Americans were urged to avoid all demonstrations in Tunisia, even peaceful ones, as "a foreigner could become a target of harassment or worse."
No comments:
Post a Comment