E-MAIL THIS LINK
To: 

Kidnapped Italian tourists found
ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- Twenty-one Italian tourists believed to have been kidnapped on the border between Niger and Chad were found on Tuesday, the Italian foreign ministry said. "They have been found," said a ministry official, without giving any more details. The ministry had earlier said that one German who was among the group of tourists -- comprised of 21 Italians, one German and one Brazilian woman -- managed to escape and report the abduction to German authorities. The ministry said the group was attacked by bandits on Monday afternoon in the desert area of south-east Niger, near the border with Chad.

The lawless border area is notorious for banditry and smuggling. Until a peace deal last year, northern Chad was the scene of a rebel uprising which spilled over into Niger. The Italian government advises tourists against visiting the area, which it describes as "particularly dangerous."
And tourists who go anyway as "particularly stupid".

Posted by: Steve 2006-08-22
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=163704