France, Portugal, Mauritania, Senegal: Dakar Rally Canceled

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | No Comments | January 10th, 2008 | Trackback

The Christmas Eve murders of four French tourists in Mauritania has prompted organizers of the Dakar Rally to cancel this year’s race. The rally was scheduled to start in Lisbon Jan. 5 and finish in Dakar, Senegal Jan. 20. Race officials faced pressure from the French government to call off the rally because nine of its stages, from Jan. 11 to 19, were due to pass through Mauritania. France has warned its citizens against all travel to Mauritania, and rally organizers eventually concluded the risk was too great. The Mauritanian government said the killing of the French family was an isolated incident and that the country is not unsafe for travelers. Police have arrested nine suspects believed to be affiliated with a group linked to al-Qaeda.

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