Tidjikja, Jan 11: The weekend stages (January 10 and 11) of the Dakar Rally were cancelled for security reasons on Friday (January 9) after reports of armed gangs awaiting drivers in Mali. Organisers said the decision to bypass eastern Mali and cancel the 10th and 11th stages was taken because of advice from French and Malian authorities. The Eurosport website said there were reports of armed gangs awaiting the rally in the west African country that borders Algeria to the north.
Organisers said competitors would head from Mauritania to Bamako, with motorcycle riders flown to the Mali capital, before heading back to Bobo Dioulasso. The Dakar-Cairo rally experienced similar problems in 2000 after warnings from Washington and Paris that hundreds of Algerian Islamic guerrillas planned to ambush the race in Niger.

Bureau Report