Foreign Office advises tourists to leave parts of Mombasa
The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Kenya to warn against all non-essential travel to Mombasa Island.
The change to the FCO advice follows two explosions in Mombasa earlier this month, which killed three people.
The Foreign Office is also warning against all but essential travel to within 5km of the coast from Mtwapa Creek in the north to Tiwi in the south. It said the no-go area did not include Diani or Moi International Airport.
It said that UK visitors currently in an area to which it was advising against all but essential travel should consider whether they had an essential reason to remain. "If not, you should leave the area," it said.
"There is a high threat from terrorism, including kidnapping. The main threat comes from extremists linked to Al Shabaab, a militant group that has carried out attacks in Kenya in response to Kenya’s military intervention in Somalia," the FCO said.
"There has been a spate of small-scale grenade, bomb and armed attacks in Nairobi (especially the area of Eastleigh), Mombasa, and North Eastern Province."
Kenya Tourism Board responded to the update by saying that Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and all airports on the Kenya coast remain open and all safari circuits throughout Kenya continue to operate as normal.
It also stressed that several areas of the Kenya coast were not affected by the change in the travel advice, including Watamu, Malindi, Lamu, Diani Beach, Galu Beach, Kinondo and Wasini Island.
"Security in all tourism establishments within Mombasa remains high," it added.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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