On 3 June 2020, the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan issued a Security Alert, which reads in part as follows:

“Location: Northern and Northeast Border Region of Cote d’Ivoire, specifically:

  • Areas more than 10 kilometers north of highway A-12
  • Areas within 10 kilometers of the border with Burkina Faso or Mali
  • North, East or inside of Comoe National Park
  • Northeast of highway A-1, from Ghana’s border, to Bondoukou and Comoe National Park at Kotouba

“Event: Extremist groups continue to carry out attacks in adjacent areas of Mali and Burkina Faso. Security forces from Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire have been carrying out joint counter-terrorism operations along the northern border with Burkina Faso.

“U.S. government personnel are prohibited from traveling to the northern and northeast border region, as delineated above, limiting the ability of the U.S. Embassy to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens. Note this prohibition does not include travel within the city limits of the following major cities: Odienne, Madinani, Boundiali, Korhogo, Ferkessedougou, or Bondoukou.”