A brave Brit who has challenged himself to run the length of Africa has revealed that he was held at gunpoint and robbed while running through a violent country.
Russell Cook, 26, from Worthing, West Sussex, decided to undertake the gargantuan journey after working a series of menial jobs, and growing resentful of the classic 9-5.
So far he’s made good progress, and has run about 2,700 km in the past two months to try and raise £100,000 for charity.
But tragedy struck as he was running through Angola.
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Russell revealed on his social media platforms, with a photo of him looking haggard, that he and his running crew had been robbed while he was making his way through the southern African nation.
"Nothing like a gun being pointed at your face to let you know you’re alive. Lively one today," he posted.
"Ferocious 1’s & 2’s all morning. Met the boys for a lunch break. Chatting our usual dribble in the van like any other day when a couple lads popped open the side door and demanded everything we have.
"Desperate blokes with guns pointed. Infamously bad situation to find yourself on the end of. Proper spot of bother. Damage limitation.
"None of us got killed or injured. We didn’t let them march us out the van. But we did lose a lot of our gear. Couple cameras, 2 iphones, all of our cash, passports + few other bits.
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"Rough gig. But we live to tell the tale. Could’ve been a lot worse. Local police doing as much as they can to help
"The relentless nature of this mission is quite something. Problems from every angle. No respite. Till the bitter end."
Angola is currently going through a period of civil unrest after fuel prices in the country spiked following a government decision to cut fuel subsidies.
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But even before this wave of unrest, the country was never the safest place for visitors.
The UK’s Foreign Office warns travellers who want to visit the nation of 34 million: “Muggings, particularly to steal mobile phones and other valuables, and armed robberies can occur in any area at any time of the day or night.”
On top of this, Australia’s Foreign Office said of the country: “Angola has a high crime rate. Common crimes range from petty theft to armed robbery and carjacking. The risk of violent crime is much higher at night. Don't walk alone or at night.”
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