OTTAWA – The list of countries that Canadians should avoid entirely, according to Ottawa, now numbers 10.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade added Libya to the list June 1 amid ongoing chaos in the North African country.

The department raised its warning for the country to the strongest level, saying it “advises against all travel to Libya due to the fragile and unpredictable political situation and the threat of terrorism in the region.”

The previous advice was to avoid non-essential travel to the country, and to avoid certain parts of it entirely.

Violent clashes broke out in Tripoli, the capital, and in eastern Libya in mid-May. As well, terrorist groups have declared their intention to increase attacks and kidnappings targeting westerners, the department says.

Currently Ottawa advises Canadians to avoid all travel to 10 countries: Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Iran, North Korea, Libya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

For Chad and Niger, the advice is to avoid all travel with the exception of their capitals – N’Djamena and Niamey, respectively – for which the advice is to avoid non-essential travel.

Source: The Canadian Press