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veronique

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Be care full could be shocking

I don?t know if you have been following the news but 5 European (3 British men, 1 French woman and one Italian/British woman who was the theater teacher of my kids when we were there)were kidnapped in Ethiopia in the Afar area.
If there is one place where you don?t want to run in trouble it?s in the afar area.
Afar are nomads which are located in Ethiopia near Eritrea and Djibouti (salt trade).
This ethnic group still up to today keep having a very strange custom which will make all the men scream.
During the month of April which is usually the marriage season the men have to offer a particular gift to their fianc?e.
In most of the world we offer a ring, their offer a necklace.
So the group of men go hunting for their "special necklace" they would catch a poor guy who is not an Afar and will perform a special surgery with the help of a curve and very sharp knife, they will delicately remove one testicle and cut skin on the stomach to reach the other testicle, to have a necklace and they would close the wounds with acacia thorns.
The man usually does live, I don?t need to tell you that there is no anesthesia .
We know a famous and rich painter in Addis who unfortunately had the misfortune to got caught by the Afar.
To close wounds with acacia thorn is a common practice in all Africa usually for the excision of woman.
There is also an other way to close wound (but this one is not for genital parts) which are the safari ants, if you have a cut put the skin together take a safari ant, make her bite and cut the head, it?s a very efficient staple, repeat that with many and your wound will be close.
They are painful believe my experience and I didn?t try to close any wound.
They are carnivore and can kill a leopard and leave just bones in less than 40 mn (safari ants do not like the smell of eucalyptus, good to put in front of your doors and widows).
Ok all for today, I don?t want to discourage anybody to travel in Ethiopia, it?s a very beautiful country and the historic route has to be made once, perhaps just avoid the Afar area.
I hope my friend will be soon release, I feel very bad, it could have been us, we traveled all over with the kids.
Africa is fascinating and beautiful and I want to return there badly, I love Kenya.....
 

veronique

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MAMARONECK
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Just wanted to add that I'm not afraid that such custom will be made on the hostages, they wouldn't do that to farenji (foreigners), they are not stupid (political stakes).
These peoples are not kind and they have a tuff life, the weather is extermely hot and the food not abundant, it's a very poor part of Ethiopia, so what worry me more it's the health of the hostages.
Just imagine drinking bad water and that's enough to get badly sick very fast, it's been more than a week now...
Sorry for my humoristic title, I wanted to share with you my worries I imagine and my knowledge (still very limited) of this remote place.
 

NRA223

Advanced Reefer
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Thanks for the heads up, I guess:scratchch . Savages! Testicals! They would have to kill me and I'd take at least one of them with me!! Hope your friend(s) will be okay. I had no plans of traveling to any country where warlords, gangs and thugs rule the streets.

I'm a firm believer that once you've lost control of your ability to defend yourself, kiss your as$ goodbye. Even here in the USA. I have told my wife, if anyone tries to grab here, to fight like her life depends on it. Once your tied up and/or taken to a remote area, chances are, your as good as dead. Fight while you have a chance. I'd rather die fighting, then to comply with an attacker, be tied up and later killed like a pig anyway.
 
D

DEEPWATER

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Well i wont be going there any soon ,i still have no kids and will want one evenually
 

GreshamH

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<looks down>
<shudder>

Umm, I'm with Deep, no Ethiopia for me in the future!

I hope the hostages are released soon. Is the taking of these hostages for money or political reasons?
 

veronique

Junior Member
Location
MAMARONECK
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Hip hip hip hourra, the 5 foreigners have been release, it's a very big relief for me, they are in Erytrea, we don't have details on their health, but they are safe.
Unfortunately the Ethiopian drivers,translators and guides (8 of them) are still detained.
 

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