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". |
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