The Canadian government and Interpol are searching for a Sherbrooke woman and her Italian friend who have gone missing in the West African country of Burkina Faso.

Édith Blais, 34, and her boyfriend Luca Tacchetto, 30, have not communicated with family or friends since Dec. 15, when they posted photos on Facebook, where friends have created a page for news updates.

They were travelling the area by car and were last known to be in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso, the country’s second-largest city. They were supposed to drive to the capital city, Ouagadougou, before leaving for Togo.

Burkina Faso is known to be a dangerous place for foreigners. The Canadian government warns people to avoid all non-essential travel to that country, especially near the border with Mali, Benin and Togo because of terrorism and kidnapping threats.