Dakar Rally Cancelled Due to Terrorist Threat
- added January 4, 2008
- 3 responses
-
-
-
- dmfoster
- added this
-
-
- related topics
-
- Terrorism (1019)
- Mariana van Zeller (60)
- Darren Foster (59)
- Dakar Rally (3)
This is a particularly big deal here in Europe, where Mariana and I are as we speak. All the cars, trucks and motorcycles have been gathering here in Lisbon all week in anticipation of the big start of the race that was scheduled to begin tomorrow.
This highlights the growing terrorism threat in North Africa and comes after four French tourists were murdered allegedly by al Qaeda-linked gunmen in Mauritania on Christmas Eve.
From the BBC:
"The 2008 Dakar Rally has been cancelled because of safety concerns in the African republic of Mauritania.
Four French tourists were murdered in Mauritania on 24 December, which led to the French government advising against any travel to the country.
Eight of the rally's 15 stages were due to pass through Mauritania.
The event's organisers, the Amaury Sport Organisation, said there had been "direct threats against the race issued by terrorist groups".
The annual car and motorcycle marathon had been due to start in Lisbon on 5 January with the finish coming in Dakar on 20 January."
This highlights the growing terrorism threat in North Africa and comes after four French tourists were murdered allegedly by al Qaeda-linked gunmen in Mauritania on Christmas Eve.
From the BBC:
"The 2008 Dakar Rally has been cancelled because of safety concerns in the African republic of Mauritania.
Four French tourists were murdered in Mauritania on 24 December, which led to the French government advising against any travel to the country.
Eight of the rally's 15 stages were due to pass through Mauritania.
The event's organisers, the Amaury Sport Organisation, said there had been "direct threats against the race issued by terrorist groups".
The annual car and motorcycle marathon had been due to start in Lisbon on 5 January with the finish coming in Dakar on 20 January."
-
The Dakar site has a passionate condemnation of the "terrorist menace that annihilates a year of hard work." -
The terrorist attack on the tourists in Mauritania was horrific, and the rally organisers' response sensible. But I didn't find much on their site but a lot of stuff about "the simple and absolute beauty of landscapes" and competitors who "distinguish themselves by their open-mindedness". What I'd like to see on www.dakar.com would be a recognition of the damage done by fossil fuel burning, and the worship of the car and a real vision for how to balance that if the rally is going to live on. The Dakar rally doesn't seem to give much back to host communities. Or have I missed something?
Richard
http://theroughguidetowestafrica.blogspot.com-
-
-
-
- RichardTrillo
- 6 months ago
-
-
This sucks. I love this race. I would love to race in this race. Well I think this gives us a reason to attatch machine guns to the vehicles and create somes james bond cars or mad max cars. Im ok with either one.
Login/Registration is required to add a response.
