And if your idea of a good time is biological or nuclear warfare, psycho religious cults, people and cultures that are naturally prone
to disaster, social upheaval and frequent outbreaks of people just killing each other, we’ve gotta say you’re pretty darn warped…. but here are 14 deadly places for you to consider.
Some places have it worse than others.
Forbes.com
has compiled their annual list of the Most Dangerous Travel Destinations
again this year. To determine which countries were the most dangerous,
they asked iJet and Control Risks, a
London-based risk consultancy, to provide them with their watch lists of
high-risk countries. IJet ranks countries across six categories,
including crime and security services, and assigns each country a
rating of one to five (five is severe). Control Risks ranks countries
across four categories, including political and terrorist risk, and
rates each country on a five-point scale, from Insignificant through
Extreme.
Then they cross-referenced the resulting 14 countries with the Travel Warnings
published by the State Department as part of its Consular Information
Program. If you plan to visit any of them, we hope you get plenty of
danger pay, are equipped with the latest body armor and have an
excellent life insurance policy.
Afghanistan
Control Risks: Extreme across all categories
iJet: 5
State Department: Travel warning
Travelers are
under the ongoing threat of kidnapping and assassination in
Afghanistan. Former Taliban and al Qaeda operatives remain at large,
and attacks with improvised explosive devices and vehicle-borne
improvised explosive devices are increasing in frequency, according to
the State Department. Areas most vulnerable to attack include domestic
and international government centers, and the U.S. Embassy in
Afghanistan frequently bans its employees from entering areas
considered to be particularly risky.
Burundi
Control Risks: Extreme security and travel threat
iJet: 4
State Department: Travel warning
Since 1993,
Burundi has faced an ongoing civil war, with rebel factions engaging in
intense fighting with government forces. Despite domestic elections,
which were held last summer, and a cease-fire agreement between six of
the rebel groups and the government, rocket and mortar attacks are
frequent in Bujumbura, as is spontaneous gunfire. Roving groups of
armed criminals commit muggings and car-jackings with impunity.
Cote d’Ivoire
Control Risks: Extreme security and travel threat in the rebel-held north and western border
iJet: 5
State Department: Travel warning
A former
French colony, Cote d’Ivoire saw some of its worst recent violence in
November 2004, when Ivorian government forces clashed with New Forces,
killing nine French troops and an American civilian. The French
response was to level Ivorian air assets and take control of the
airport, which prompted further violent confrontations and looting in
the commercial capital city of Abidjan and elsewhere. Although the
airport is now open, the political situation remains volatile.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Control Risks: Extreme security and travel threat in the northeast
iJet: 5
State Department: Travel warning
The national
elections scheduled to take place here in the first six months of 2006
are no guarantee of future peace. A transitional government, formed in
2003, capped a string of political power battles and assassinations,
and former rebel groups are still moderately active. U.N. observer
forces, located around the country, are unable to prevent the
pillaging, car-jackings, murders, rapes and kidnappings performed by
active-duty troops as well as armed, unofficial groups. Airports and
other ports of entry often levy bribes on incoming or departing
travelers.
Georgia
Control Risks: High across much of the country
iJet: 3
State Department: No current warning
The civil
war of the 1980s and 1990s has divided Georgia to this day: Separatist
regions exist in north-central and northwest Georgia, which refuse to
recognize the authority of the government in the capital of T’bilisi.
The volatile political situation and intensity of past violence against
missionary troops (including beatings and destruction of property)
means that travelers should proceed with great caution, especially in
the Pankisi Gorge area, where Georgian forces have clashed with Chechen
fighters and other terrorists. In addition, American citizens are
prohibited legally from making the overland crossing between Russia and
Georgia.
Haiti
Control Risks: High political, security and travel threat
iJet: 5
State Department: Travel warning
There is no
effective police force in Haiti. Sudden demonstrations and violent
outbreaks are common, despite a 2004 government change. Previously,
private businesses were often victims of violence and extortion, and
even today many Haitian towns are controlled by criminals. Basics such
as water and electricity are unavailable or extremely limited.
Employees of the U.S. Embassy function under a curfew here, and
visitors traveling in Haiti cannot expect the protection of the few
U.N. representatives who remain here.
Iraq
Control Risks: Extreme security, terrorist and travel threat
iJet: 5
State Department: Travel warning
No region of
Iraq is safe for visitors, not even the International, or Green, Zone.
The U.S.-led occupancy has so far not been able to tame the insurgency,
and former members of the Ba’ath regime are still at large, as are
various international terrorists and criminals. Civilians die daily in
car bombings and suicide bombings, and much of the terrorist activity
is aimed directly at U.S. citizens or U.S. assets. Obvious targets,
like restaurants, hotels, police stations or checkpoints, are to be
avoided.
Liberia
Control Risks: High security, political and travel threat
iJet: 5
State Department: Travel warning
In the summer
of 2003, Liberia’s 14-year civil war was brought to a close with a
peace-keeping agreement and the exile to Nigeria of Charles Taylor, the
former president. Since then, the 2005 presidential elections went off
relatively smoothly, but there are still 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers and
1,100 police advisers stationed throughout the country. Crime in
Liberia is a major problem, and the bulk of it takes place after dark.
Theft, sexual assault and murder are common. Moreover, recent business
scams asking for money for a variety of dubious causes have targeted
Americans. These frauds can result in physical, as well as financial,
harm.
Pakistan
Control Risks: Extreme security and travel threat in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan; high terrorist risk in Islamabad
iJet: 4
State Department: Travel warning
Pakistan has
been a conflicted state ever since it was founded in 1947 when a
section of India, at the time under British rule, was cordoned off to
make a Muslim state. Two wars were subsequently fought over disputed
Kashmiri territory, and a third resulted in the creation of Bangladesh.
Nuclear testing by India prompted copycat testing in Pakistan in 1998,
and since then, militant and extremist groups have congregated here and
target American and Western interests. Islamabad and the tribal areas
bordering Afghanistan are particularly dangerous, where members of al
Qaeda and remnants of the Taliban remain.
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Papua New Guinea
Control Risks: High security and travel threat
iJet: 4
State Department: No current warning
Port
Moresby has one of the highest murder rates in the world, and violent
crime rates are extremely high across the country of Papua New Guinea.
Car-jacking, armed robberies and vehicle stonings are common in Lae and
Mount Hagen, and pickpockets operate in practically all the urban
areas. Papua New Guinea’s mines and forests attract industry from
around the world, but rural areas or even isolated public places like
parks or beaches are the scene of robberies and sexual assaults.
Travelers are advised against public transportation, including taxis.
Rental cars are generally a safer option.
Russia (Chechnya)
Control Risks: Extreme security, terrorist and travel threat
iJet: 4
State Department: No current warning
The
political instability in the Caucasus region is among the most severe
in Russia, and travelers are advised to avoid North Ossetia,
Ingushetia, Dagestan, Stavropol, Karachayevo-Cherkessiya and
Kabardino-Balkariya as well as Chechnya itself, where open guerilla
warfare still rages in an environment of lawlessness. Kidnappings for
ransom, of Americans and other foreigners, are common, as are terrorist
attacks or bombings at hotels, government buildings, markets and
schools, including the raid in September 2004 at a school in Beslan,
which ended in the deaths of many children and other civilians.
Somalia
Control Risks: Extreme political, security and travel threat
iJet: 5
State Department: Travel warning
The United
States doesn’t have an embassy, or any other diplomatic outpost, in
Somalia, putting American citizens who travel here entirely out of
reach of assistance from the U.S. Inter-clan fighting and attacks on
relief workers and journalists are frequent, and especially in the
Mogadishu area, territorial demarcations are arbitrary and change
often. Vessels near the coast of Somalia risk being seized and held for
ransom by pirates. The Indian Ocean along the Horn of Africa and Kenyan
border is extremely unsafe. Inland, the Kenyan border has been the site
of extreme violence, including grenade attacks on hostels.
Sudan
Control Risks: High security and travel threat in the south, the Darfur region, and along the Eritrean border
iJet: 5
State Department: Travel warning
Sudan gained
independence from the U.K. in 1956, and since then, Islamic military
regimes have held power. In 2005, the country’s civil war ostensibly
ended, with the parties involved signing peace agreements. But today,
violence continues, especially in the Darfur region, where global
leaders have identified a pattern of genocidal killing. Militant
fighting and sporadic terrorist attacks, aimed at U.S. and Western
targets, continue, with suicide bombings and kidnappings common. The
U.S. Embassy in Sudan is only marginally capable of defending U.S.
citizens because of the country’s lack of infrastructure. Like Somalia,
Sudan’s coast is vulnerable to armed pirate attacks.
Zimbabwe
Control Risks: High political and high security (except Harare and Bulawayo) threat throughout the country
iJet: 5
State Department: Travel warning
Robert Mugabe,
Zimbabwe’s first prime minister, began a campaign of land distribution
in 2000 that exiled white farmers and plunged the nation’s economy into
chaos. The economy has been failing ever since, with unemployment and
inflation running rampant. Fuel and food shortages are chronic
problems, and as a result violent crime is prevalent. The police force
and general emergency services are limited by the scarcity of fuel,
which makes internal travel difficult. Robberies and car-jackings are
serious problems, as are land seizures, business closures and political
intimidation, and tourists are often the target of harassment, even in
well-visited areas like Victoria Falls.