Sunday 28 August 2011

FCO "trouble abroad" figures: previously unpublished country-by-country details


On my blog for another book, The Rough Guide to First-Time Africa, I've been posting the results of my chasing up the press office of the UK foreign affairs department (the Foreign & Commonwealth Office or FCO) for further information about their recently published "British Behaviour Abroad" report.

The report, covering March 2010 to March 2011, was published at the beginning of August, and contains broad-brush information about the numbers of Britons around the world requiring consular assistance. The numbers run into tens of thousands and include drug arrests, deaths, assaults and stolen passports. Apart from the busiest countries, however, the report does not go into any detail. No countries in West Africa get any mention.

I wanted more information, not just about West Africa, but about the other countries I'm particularly interested in in Africa. The results are posted on the First-Time Africa blog, here, and in subsequent posts as I've gleaned more information.

It's worth stating here that just two British nationals were murdered in West Africa between March 2010 and March 2011 – one in Cameroon and one in Nigeria. Neither case was related to terrorism.

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