U.S. orders departure of children of embassy staff

In a statement on Wednesday, the embassy in Ouagadougou said there was no specific threat to prompt the directive, however security issues in the West African nation had reached a point where it was no longer "appropriate" for children to remain with the embassy community. Consular services and diplomatic engagements will not be affected, the embassy said.The announcement also comes as the US State Department raised its travel advisory for American citizens to "Do Not Travel" as a result of "terrorism, crime and kidnapping," according to the advisory.On Tuesday, the US government also ordered all minor family members of government employees to leave Burkina Faso and advised the voluntary departure of non-emergency staff.The government warned that kidnapping and hostage-taking remained a threat in the country, while terrorist networks could strike at any time."The US government is unable to provide emergency services to US citizens throughout most of the country, as US government personnel are restricted from travelling to regions outside the capitol due to security concerns," according to the advisory.In May, four hostages, including an American and a South Korean were freed by French forces after they were kidnapped in neighboring Benin.

Armed conflict

Burkina Faso has been beset by armed conflict and terrorist networks operate with impunity targeting public places of gathering, including hotels, restaurants. Foreign embassies and military bases have also come under attack in the past.At least eight people were killed and more than 80 were injured in two coordinated attacks against the French embassy and the country's military headquarters in Ouagadougou in 2018.The International Committee of Red Cross (IRead More – Source