The US State Department has cautioned US citizens against going to Mali and advised those already in the West African nation to consider leaving because of political instability after last week's military coup.
In its second travel warning for Mail in four days, the State Department also warned of an ongoing rebellion in northern Mali and continuing threats of attacks and kidnappings of Westerners in the area.
Mostly mid-ranking soldiers ousted Mali's President Amadou Toumani Toure last Wednesday after a mutiny sparked by rising frustration in the army over his handling of a Tuareg rebellion in the desert north, where the military has faced a series of setbacks.
The mutinous soldiers continue to control the country but have allowed land borders and the main airport in the capital Bamako to reopen, the State Department said.
The whereabouts of Toure are unknown and the coup leaders have been condemned by the country's neighbors and world powers.
The United States, Mali's biggest bilateral donor, said on Monday it would suspend some aid to Mali.
