OWN CORRESPONDENT, Niamey | Wednesday 12.50pm.
THE Dakar rally, suspended on Tuesday after terrorist threats, will restart on Tuesday, January 18, race organisers said.
All the teams and equipment will be transferred by air from Niamey to Sabbah and Waw el Kebir airports in Libya from January 12 to 17 and racing will resume Tuesday.
The airlift will begin at 17:00 GMT on Wednesday, race organisers said.
Delays in getting the necessary aircraft to Niamey airport mean the race will now be restarted Tuesday 18 instead of Monday, as planned earlier.
“The Antonov 124 aircraft which were due to arrive at Niamey at midday will not be in place until the end of the afternoon because of weather problems. The operation will be finished on Monday 17 and the race will restart on Tuesday 18,” said organisers.
Wednesday’s seventh stage start from the Niger capital of Niamey was cancelled following a warning to race organisers from the French foreign ministry.
The action was taken after rally organisers the Thierry Sabine Organisation (TSO) were informed of the possibility of a security risk from terrorists as the race passed through Niger.
French security sources said that the terrorists were monitored from airborne reconnaissance units. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they insisted that the terrorists are not from Niger.
They wouldn’t confirm confirm or deny that the group are Islamic militants from Chad or Algeria.
“They have entered Niger and are in position. We have very precise information. They are not from Niger,” said the sources.
The US Department Of State also issued a statement saying it has information to suggest terrorists might be planning to conduct attacks somewhere along the rally route.
The rally, which started on January 6, was scheduled to cross six countries — Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Libya, before its scheduled January 23 finish in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
The Niger government earlier refuted suggestions of any risk, saying: “This is a measure that can’t be justified.”
Tourism minister Rhissa Ag Boula added: “Security forces in Niger have been employed for some time along the route to avert any act of sabotage.
“Everything has been done to ensure the competitors’ security throughout Niger.”
The rally’s withdrawal is a blow for the country whose tourist trade has suffered in recent years because of the Touareg rebellion in the 1990s.
The Paris-Dakar is no stranger to controversy, with competitors in last year’s race attacked by Mauritanian bandits.
In the 1980s Mark Thatcher, the son of then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, sparked a much-publicised desert search after losing his way. — AFP