24th December.

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What do terrorists have to gain from cancelling the Dakar anyway - just to make a few peoples lives more miserable?

So terrorists win again -- because we let them. Proposals for ID cards in the UK are another example of terrorism winning (and a cynical gvmt exploiting the situation). My apologies for being political, I know that this is not really the place for this stuff.

I wonder what the 'specific threats' against the rally were, or was it more to do with ASO's insurance company advising that they will pull the plug if they go ahead ... That and the truly awful health and safety culture which is slowly crippling society and individual aspiration.

However, one could say in fairness, the rally route this year did stray towards areas of Mauritania which are less than safe -- but surely this has been the situation on previous years.

We will never see a stable world if every time some mysterious character with an AK47 pops his head up and makes threats, we simply cave in. This is not about having destructive wars on terror, it's about simply getting on with things planned.

The rally should have gone ahead and in the extremely unlikely event that anything had hapenned, the terrorists would probably have been the ones to have trashed their cause in this instance. As it is ASO should be regarded as having egg on their faces and Mauritania cannot now escape being viewed as a dodgy place to go, when in fact it's really not.

Bin Laden (if he is still alive) must be rubbing his hands in glee.

ASO have done the Dakar Rally no favours at all, have badly let down North and West African countries and probably discouraged many potential overlanders from visiting these amazing countries and cultures.

A more proper response would have been to ask the Rally participants themselves to decide if the Dakar was to go ahead or not.

I'm due to ship out there on the 18th with Barbara, riding from Malaga to Bissau, via Mauri, Mali, Senegal and Gambia. We're still planning on going.

Heard from Fil S last night who yesrerday arrived in Bamako on his R1150GS. He tells me that Mauritania is OK. There's masses of extra security on the Road of Hope east of NCT because of the murders and there have been some floods on the road near Ayoun, but he seems to have had a smooth enough trip.

The ironic thing is that the dreadfull murders on Christmas Eve have probably made a visit to Mauritania safer, not more dangerous.

I apologise for being controversial and await the trashing.

Cheers

Craig

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As I understand it, the Dakar was cancelled because of terrorist threats coming from Al Qaeda. The terrorists claimed that they would act against any French participants in the race who crossed Mauritanian soil.

The race organisers said that it was the French Government who had asked them to consider the option of cancelling the rally.

Etienne Lavingne was in Maurtania at the end of last month to see whether the authorities there could guarantee the safety of the participants, but that guarantee couldn't be given.

I'm disappointed it's been cancelled and yes the terrorists have won again, but the safety of the participants ultimately has to take precedence and I'm interested to see what they have to say about it being cancelled at the eleventh hour.

So if the French, had pulled out, it would have still gone ahead??? :confused1:

No offence to the French, but they could have pulled out and let everyone else get on with it!

Martyn

Illuminating, thanks.

The problem is that there is a tendency of Governments, media and individuals to treat 'Al Qaeda' as if it's some huge organised global corporation with a tower block head quarters somewhere in Afganistan with a rotating logo on the roof.

'Al Qaeda' is not much more than a philosophy and an idea, which exists 'like the wind' as Lawrence wrote in 'Seven Pillars'. This 'idea' and name is taken up by disparate groups of rebels, or in some cases common criminals and other such groups who share a broadly a similar ideology, or have convenient reasons to call themselves 'Al Qaeda'.

The probable reality of what we are talking here, is a bunch of characters who I understand are based in the Algerian Mahgreb, who have perhaps a handfull of operatives in the Mauri area, some of whom are known to the Mauritanian Government.

This is what seems to have emerged from the coverage of the Christmas Eve murders anyway.

So the Rally has been cancelled on the basis of threats from a few probably ill eqipped rebels, who may not even have the resources to harrass the rally, but who have adopted a big international name which strikes fear in the hearts of those who hear it.

Such is the power of an idea.

An idea which has been lent greater power and credibility by the cancellation of the rally.

C

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Nope, see post #6.

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Dave

Not as easy as that mate the PD is a French event with French organisers I would imagine trying to get a team together of non french organisers in two days might be difficult.

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It does not take very much to rattle a western Government: a great weakness of a democracy/free press.

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Dave

The main road from Nouadhibou to Rosso passing by the capital Nouackchott is one of the two main travel arteries in the country, so I would hope the Mauri government could manage to keep it relatively safe. It's also a long way from the areas where the tourists and soldiers were attacked.

I will be looking at various web sites--note the UK government hasn't changed its travel advice other than to note the Dakar cancellation: Travel Advice by Country*Foreign & Commonwealth Office--and checking with other travellers before making the decision whether to transit Mauri.

One option might be to travel 'par convoi' with others. Conversely perhaps it might be better to ride solo 'like the wind'...

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Thanks.

That may have been a freudian 24 + 4 = 28, or maybe I just forgot!!

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Dave

Hello, I noticed in one of the postings that it was stated that,

" However, one could say in fairness, the rally route this year did stray towards areas of Mauritania which are less than safe -- but surely this has been the situation on previous years."

I was just wondering what areas were of concern. I read the advisorys from the Foreign and Common Wealth office and they said the border with Algeria, and the border near Mali or east of the city Nema in Mauritania were the unsafe areas. And that the Area leading through and to the Capital were relatively safe. However, the murders on Xmas Eve took place only 160 miles east of the Capital Nouakchott. So im just wondering, Which is it? What areas in the country are stated as the safer passage through Mauritania from Morrocco to Senegal? And wasnt the Dakar rally supposed to stop in the capital...where it was presumed safer then the easter portion of the country. Any help here would be great, I really dont know what to think about it all. I would like to take a trip, maybe next year. Im expecting things or specific routes to be safer possibly, with added security , but who knows.

Thanks Tim I have holed up in Agadir awaiting any news from anyone travelling up I will wait to see if any news here until Monday then head for the boarder, any genuine news from any one is allways helpfull all the very best

Steve

It makes me laugh when people of power state 'terrorists will not change the way we live!' what a load of bollocks that is, take a look at London since the bombings, the place has lost its marbles with CCTV and rent-a-cops everywhere.

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The Dakar route for this year went deep into the east of Mauritania and the french citizens killed I heard where a group pre running the course for ASO. I think the killing so close to "home" and the direct threat and the pressure from the french goverment pushed them into cancelling. I could not imagine how much unrest in Mauritania although i would imagine the main routes will be safe the terrost's have acheived there goal there would be little international press coverage in abducting travellers.

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