Africa is a beautiful and massively diverse continent of over a billion people. Humanity was born from this continent and flourished ever since, but not all of Africa is the same. Three times larger than the United States, the physical geography of Africa alone separates different regions wildly. On top of that, the number of nation states only intensifies the diversity of stability. Some African nations are perfectly safe to visit, like Ghana. But most involve some danger – and some should not be visited unless absolutely necessary.
In this article we look at ten African countries to avoid due to the danger level and clear instability of the nation, be it a result of civil war, terrorism, or a host of other causes. There are probably more than ten that should be included on a list like this, but that is subjective. Remember that inclusion on this list is not intended as a slight on the culture of each country or any of the people who live there. This article is merely intended to guide travelers from outside of Africa on where is not safe for travel. Here are ten African countries to avoid at all cost, in no particular order.
10: Burkina Faso
Although bordering Ghana, the safest country in Africa, Burkina Faso is extremely dangerous. In recent years, widespread terror attacks have plunged the impoverished nation into an even deeper pit of desperation. Militant terror groups now regularly launch attacks on both government forces and civilians. Foreigners who pay visit to the country are regularly kidnapped or killed in explosions. Even visitors remaining in the capital city of Burkina Faso are not safe from danger, and so western nations have began to warn against all travel to the nation. On top of that disease is rampant, and society in general is highly oppressive. The country isn’t war torn, unlike most other African countries to avoid but the threat level is about as high as you’d expect if that were the case.
9: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa has two nations called the Congo. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the big one in central Africa, and unlike Burkina Faso it really is war torn. In a matter of days last month 900 people were slaughtered in ethnic violence. Across the country armed rebel groups run rampant, harming and kidnapping and enslaving whoever they want. There are entire regions controlled by rebels and the government can do little to stop them. They extract the great mineral wealth of the congo and use profits to fund their own private armies, adding more flame to the conflict that continues to plague the land. If that wasn’t bad enough, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently suffering one of the worst ever outbreaks of the Ebola virus.
8: Libya
It might be a bit of a push to even call Libya a country any more. Since the overthrow of their dictator Colonel Gadaffi, the power vacuum within Libya was filled by militant groups each vying for influence. Libya has fractured into multiple tribal states each controlled by the most effective warlord. It’s some real life Game of Thrones shit going on there. The slave trade has even made a come back, with Arab militant groups kidnapping black African minorities and selling them in slave auctions. Needless to say it’s not a safe country for foreigners to visit. Libya has become the poster child of failed states, and will likely remain that for decades to come. It may never again be safe to visit this region. All remnants of the Libyan government seem to have been washed away by a river of violence.
7: Nigeria
Although many people visit Nigeria each year without problem, it is considered one of the most dangerous countries in Africa, and therefore the world. Northern Nigeria is especially dangerous, with the activity of terrorist groups like Boko Haram drawing much strength there. They and other organizations commit countless attacks each year, including assassinations and kidnappings. But it’s not just the north that is dangerous. Even within the capital city and the southern regions, visitors are never truly safe. Kidnapping is always a genuine threat. Flash flooding and disease is also a major threat, as is political violence, especially given the upcoming national elections within Nigeria. Nigeria is wonderfully rich in culture and history, drawing hundreds of thousands each year. But I would advice against all but necessary travel all the same.
6: Sudan
Sudan has for centuries been known for it’s fiercely effective warriors. Perhaps that is why the ongoing conflicts within this country never seem to end. Since 2003 the government of Sudan have been fighting an incredibly desperate war against rebel groups in Sudan’s western region of Darfur. With 3 million people being displaced and over 300 thousand lives lost, this war alone has devastated the country. But there is also a much larger civil war that broke out in 2011.
Faced with two ongoing wars, the Sudanese government has been able to do little to suppress rebel and terrorist groups who operate freely in much of the nation. But it’s not just rebels to fear. The government of Sudan itself has always been especially brutal. With protests recently raging across Sudan, reports have hit the news that doctors and medics were being shot by the government. This is because the protests are led mainly by doctors. It’s a messy situation and really best avoided.
5: Eritrea
With more than 3 percent of it’s population choosing to flee their country, things are not well in Eritrea. But it’s not war that causes them to leave. It’s desperation of a different kind. The government of Eritrea is brutal, even more brutal than Sudan. It’s citizens live in constant fear of arrest, or being forced into military service. Military service is a terrible prospect, involving literal torture more often than not. This is because the government is terrified of war with Ethiopia. It was only in the 1990s that Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia and border disputed has since left their relationship icy. Partly because of this, terrorist groups and bandits flourish in the areas of Eritrea that border both Ethiopia and Sudan. One of the biggest threats is land mines, many of which remain hidden across the nation waiting to kill.
4: Mali
As I write this article, news has reached me that 20 thousand kidnapped girls have just been found in Mali. Many of the girls were sold as sex slaves. But given the state Mali is currently in, this is not surprising. Thanks to the weakness of it’s government, terrorist groups within Mali operate largely unmolested. Some of which are incredibly powerful and control large regions of Mali outright. They set landmines to kill indiscriminately, kidnap locals and foreigners alike, and carry out deliberate acts of mass murder on a regular basis. Many parts of this country remain in the grim of chaos since the civil war of 2013 that saw democracy overthrown and only re-instituted after an intervention by the French military.
3: Chad
Chad is a country rich in reserves of gold, oil, and uranium. However this landlocked country is a deeply impoverished and an African country to avoid at all cost, despite being a democracy. Crime is incredibly high: car jackings, terror attacks, and murder are common place. It’s recommended no visitors to Chad leave the capital city without some kind of armed escort. Just like it’s surrounding nations, rebel groups operate within Chad and the government of Chad are brutal in their repression of any dissent. There is no mystery as to why Chad has become so dangerous for foreigners. It’s history is bloody beyond comparison to most nations. In fact, in 2016 a former leader of the country was convicted of crimes against humanity.
2: Somalia
Somalia has become synonymous with the term failed state. Since 1991 Somalia has been involved in a far reaching civil war that has devastated the country to an apocalyptic degree. The country has no national government in effect, and massive regions are controlled by a series of local warlords who do as they please. Besides warlords, terrorist groups hold massive power within Somalia and carry out monumental attacks to match. Last year a truck bomb exploded in the capital of Somalia, taking the lives of 300 people. Attacks like this are just part of life in Somalia, and anyone wanting to visit this region should expect to die. It’s really that dangerous, just like all African countries to avoid unless absolutely necessary. Stay away from Somalia.
1: South Sudan
South Sudan is the world’s youngest country. Or at least the youngest to gain official recognition globally, becoming independent from Sudan in 2011. Independence was the result of Africa’s longest running civil war. But really the bloodshed was just beginning. Since 2013 South Sudan has been in the grip of civil war between the nation’s president and vice president. As each man was of a different ethnic group, ethnic conflict became a big part of the war. Accusations of genocide have been made.
What we know for certain is that millions have been displaced and a situation has emerge where rape, murder, and the destruction of villages have become a normal element of life in South Sudan. The war is being spurred on by many of South Sudan’s neighbor countries, who each have their own interests in the war and seem willing to support anyone who can help them achieve whatever goal they have. This list of African countries to be avoided has been in no particular order. But be under no illusion, South Sudan in the most dangerous country in Africa.