Two French tourists are feared kidnapped in the West African nation of Benin after they failed to return from a game drive in a wildlife reserve and their guide was later found dead, authorities said Sunday.<\/p>\n
The disappearance has raise"},"modified":"2019-05-06T10:10:36","modified_gmt":"2019-05-06T10:10:36","slug":"two-french-tourists-go-missing-in-benin-near-burkina-faso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/05\/06\/two-french-tourists-go-missing-in-benin-near-burkina-faso\/","title":{"rendered":"Two French tourists go missing in Benin near Burkina Faso"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
Two French tourists are feared kidnapped in the West African nation of Benin after they failed to return from a game drive in a wildlife reserve and their guide was later found dead, authorities said Sunday.<\/p>\n
The disappearance has raised fears they could have been abducted by Islamic extremists who have become increasingly active over the border in Burkina Faso. There are worries the militants could be infiltrating northern Benin and neighboring Togo as well.<\/p>\n
The French tourists were last seen with their guide Wednesday when they went into the Pendjari National Park, according to the organization that oversees the reserve in the country\u2019s north.<\/p>\n
Two days later the body of an African man who had been fatally shot was found in the park. Authorities in Benin identified him as the French tourists\u2019 guide.<\/p>\n
The French government is in contact with the tourists\u2019 families but would not release their identities for security reasons, said a French Foreign Ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to be publicly named.<\/p>\n
Authorities in Benin have been increasingly concerned that the growing instability in neighboring Burkina Faso could spread.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to secure our borders so that we don\u2019t get any of these members of armed groups in our country,\u201d Army Chief of Staff Col. Fructueux Gbaguidi said just a week ago.<\/p>\n
Pendjari National Park makes up part of a vast wildlife area that stretches across Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. The entire area is home to most of the world\u2019s remaining West African lion population.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n