Increased kidnapping threats by the terrorist

Sources reported on 7 July 2010 that U.S. nationals working in the northern region of Burkina Faso near the Mali border have been evacuated following a 1 July U.S. Embassy terrorism warning. U.S. diplomatic sources stated that workers had been moved to Ouagadougou, the capital, as a precautionary measure. The U.S. Embassy evacuated the U.S. nationals -- mostly Peace Corp volunteers -- in response to increased kidnapping threats by the terrorist group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).