Via my Daily Digest from International SOS and Control Risks (see More Trouble in Burkina Faso) …

From Cameroon … “Avoid all travel to Extreme North region, non-essential travel to border areas north of Garoua due to Islamist extremist incursions … Recent incidents in northern Cameroon highlight that further Boko Haram attacks in the country are likely to be increasingly large-scale, frequent and lethal. As a consequence, we now advise that all travel to Extreme North region should be avoided. Travel to border areas with Nigeria located north of Garoua (North region) should be for essential purposes only and conducted with professional security support due to the credible risk of cross-border infiltration by militants.” (I think of Cameroon as the home of great stamps, world-class soccer and a lake disaster where seeping gas killed more thousands … Boko Haram feels closer since Catherine’s college roommate is a Nigerian from Baltimore.)

From Bolivia … “Heightened security measures and associated traffic restrictions are likely to cause localised disruption on 10-12 January in Oruro and Potosi departments during the passage of the Dakar Rally. The authorities have announced the closure of roads along the route of the rally. Members should liaise with local contacts to plan journeys avoiding the rally routes to mitigate inconvenience.” (Allowed me to learn that the Dakar Rally has been run historically from Paris to Dakar, Senegal, but moved to South America due to a 2008 coup in Mauritania.)

From Canada … “Members in Quebec province should avoid ongoing daily demonstrations by the Association for Student Union Solidarity as a security precaution. Around 50,000 people are expected to participate in the protest campaign, which is being held to denounce government austerity measures. Most rallies are expected to pass off peacefully, clashes could occur between protesters and the police, particularly if rallies take place without appropriate permits.” (Closer to home geographically and philosophically … why aren’t American students also up in arms about higher ed austerity?)

From Macedonia … “Travellers in the capital Skopje on 28 March should avoid a planned demonstration by the opposition party Dostoinstvo as a security precaution. Protesters will gather outside the MRT Center (the national broadcast building) on Goce Delčev Boulevard to denounce allegedly biased reporting by the state media. A related protest organised by Dostoinstvo on 21 March resulted in some of the participants breaking through security cordons and attempting to forcibly enter the building.” (My brother, an ethnologist who resettled in Canada, was caught up in academic squabble about whether Macedonians are Slavs or Greeks before Macedonia had even re-emerged as a place in most North American minds.)

From Ukraine … “A civilian passenger bus travelling to the rebel-held city of Horlivka (Donetsk province) hit a landmine on 25 March near the government-held city of Artemivsk while trying to bypass a checkpoint. Four people were killed and were injured as a result of the blast. Despite a relative lull in hostilities, travel risk remains EXTREME in the region. Members should continue to defer all travel to eastern provinces.” (I cannot believe my son wants to go teach English there!)