The United States has ordered non-emergency personnel and their families to leave Mali due to a heightened risk of attacks, the State Department said. The US did not mention a specific threat to its employees, but said there was an increased danger of violence affecting Westerners in a country that has been plagued by jihadist attacks for years. “On July 29, 2022, the Department ordered the departure of non-emergency US government employees and family members due to the heightened risk of terrorist attacks in areas frequented by Westerners,” the State Department said in an updated travel advisory on Mali. “Terrorist and armed groups continue plotting kidnappings and attacks in Mali,” the advisory said, warning of attacks on places including “night clubs, hotels, restaurants, places of worship (and) international diplomatic missions.” Jihadists first struck the north of Mali in 2012, joining a regional insurgency.