Amid concerns over political unrest, thousands of tourists were evacuated from the West African country of Gambia. The situation stems from the result of elections held in December 2016, as the existing President Yahya Jammeh refused to hand over power to victor Adama Barrow, declaring a 90-day state of emergency.
The ongoing unrest and the potential for military intervention has led the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office to change its travel advice for the country. It warns against “all but essential travel.” This change effectively means the country is out of bounds to tourists because most insurers will not offer coverage.
The U.S. State Department issued its own travel warning on January 7 because of “potential for civil unrest and violence in the near future.”