MISSING TOURIST UPDATE: StrategyPage reports:

The 31 lost Europeans are now thought to be held by a group of Islamic rebels fearful of a government crackdown. The Europeans were grabbed for use as human shields. The Europeans are thought to be held outside the town of Illizi, 1,700 kilometers southeast of the capital.

There’s some weird stuff going on in the Saharan region, all across Africa. Someone should pay attention. Or perhaps someone already is, and that’s what’s prompting this behavior in response.