Egypt, Cairo, Warden Message; Violence at Rafah-Gaza January 6, 2010

From: Cairo, Warden <CairoWarden@state.gov>

Date: January 6, 2010

To: The American Community

From: Embassy of the United States, Cairo

Subject: Warden Message - Reports of Violence at Rafah-Gaza

This warden message is being issued to alert U.S. citizens residing and traveling in Egypt that on January 6, 2010, violent demonstrations took place at the border crossing in Rafah between Egypt and Gaza. In addition, there have been demonstrations in Al-Arish over the past few days. We strongly encourage American citizens to avoid travel to the northern Sinai region. We also recommend that American Citizens avoid areas where there is heavy police presence or crowds assembling and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of any large public gatherings. As a reminder, even demonstrations or events intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence.

Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the U.S. Embassy’s website the U.S. Department of State's, Bureau of Consular Affairs website , where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information can be found. The U.S. Embassy also encourages U.S. citizens to review "A safe trip abroad", which includes valuable security information for those both living and traveling abroad. In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada, or outside the United States and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

American citizens are advised to maintain valid travel documents and register with the Department of State or the U.S. Embassy Cairo through the State Department travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov. For further information, U.S. citizens may call the Embassy’s American Citizen Services Unit at 2797-2301 during business hours, Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. For emergencies after business hours and on weekends and holidays, U.S. citizens can contact the Embassy Duty Officer via the Embassy switchboard on 2797-3300. The Embassy is located at 5 Tawfik Diab Street (formerly known as Latin America Street), Garden City, Cairo.