US restricts military personnel from travelling to West Africa

The Pentagon on Thursday restricted US service members’ travel to five West African countries, citing recent militant attacks in the region.

Anthony Falvo, a spokesman for US Africa Command, said the order limits unofficial travel by US military personnel to Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Ghana.

“It is just increased vigilance given the recent events that have happened in that area of the world,” Falvo said.

On Sunday, gunmen killed 19 people at a beach-side resort in Ivory Coast.

Al Qaeda’s North African branch and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the attack.

The same group said it was behind a January attack on a hotel and restaurant in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, that killed 29 people, as well as a November hotel siege in Mali.

According to Michelle Baldanza, a Pentagon spokeswoman, the order remains in effect until June 30, and does not restrict official travel to the countries involved.

“Given the recent attacks in western Africa, we felt it prudent to make this decision at this time in an effort to ensure the safety of our personnel,” Baldanza said.

US Africa Command has between 1,000 and 1,200 forces on the continent at any one time, mostly in training and support roles to help local security forces combat militants.