Overseas Security Advisory Council Daily News 2/14/2023

February 14, 2023

Today's Headlines OSAC's daily selection of global security news

Africa

Nine deaths from the disease were linked to a funeral ceremony in Equatorial Guinea’s Kie-Ntem province bordering Cameroon.

Gabon President Ali Bongo on Monday proposed shortening the presidential mandate from seven to five years as he began consultations to prepare for elections this year and measures to prevent violence.

Kenya’s President William Ruto has ordered the army to join a security operation against armed bandits in the northern Rift Valley region who have killed dozens of people in recent months.

Precious stones miner Gemfields Group (GEMGE.L), on Tuesday said it has halted operations and was evacuating personnel from its Nairoto exploration camp in Mozambique's insurgent-hit Cabo Delgado province after an attack on a nearby village.

East Asia & Pacific

Myanmar's military government plans to allow people who are “loyal to the nation,” including government employees and retired military personnel, to carry licensed firearms, but they must comply with orders from local authorities to participate in s...

Taiwan will reopen its borders to individual travelers from Hong Kong and Macau starting from next week as part of efforts to revive the tourism industry after the Covid pandemic. Hong Kong and Macau citizens will be allowed to apply for visitor vis...

The storm washed away roads, damaged homes and left more than 225,000 people without electricity.

Europe

Germany has signed contracts with Rheinmetall to restart the production of ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft guns it has delivered to Kyiv, German Defense minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday.

The death toll from last Monday's earthquakes ... 31,643 in Turkey and 5,714 in Syria. While on the one hand, the international community has stepped up to offer aid and financial assistance to both countries, and on the other, scammers are using ...

Anti-Syrian slogans such as "We don't want Syrians," "Immigrants should be deported," and "No longer welcome" trended on Twitter. Syrians left homeless by the earthquake said they had been kicked out of emergency camps and a Syrian man opened a shel...

The move by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would allow more aid to enter the country’s rebel-held northwest, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said.

Middle East & North Africa

Hackers said they had taken down the websites of Bahrain’s international airport and state news agency on Tuesday to mark the 12-year anniversary of an Arab Spring uprising in the small Gulf country.

The death toll from last Monday's earthquakes ... 31,643 in Turkey and 5,714 in Syria. While on the one hand, the international community has stepped up to offer aid and financial assistance to both countries, and on the other, scammers are using ...

Anti-Syrian slogans such as "We don't want Syrians," "Immigrants should be deported," and "No longer welcome" trended on Twitter. Syrians left homeless by the earthquake said they had been kicked out of emergency camps and a Syrian man opened a shel...

The move by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would allow more aid to enter the country’s rebel-held northwest, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said.

Detentions come amid a wave of arrests targeting politicians and other critics of the government.

South & Central Asia

Indian tax officers searched the BBC's bureaus in New Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday, the British broadcaster said, weeks after the government came down hard against a BBC documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role in 2002 riots.

He provided no further details. Kyrgyzstan was scheduled to hold a similar CTSO exercise last year, but cancelled it amid a violent border conflict with another bloc member, Tajikistan. The bloc also includes Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Western Hemisphere

Petro has said that peace talks with the ELN are a cornerstone of his plan to bring “total peace” to the nation of 50 million people, where some rural areas are still under th

Peruvian prosecutors said Monday they are investigating whether security forces were to blame for the deaths of several protesters during anti-government demonstrations in December. According to the country's ombudsman,

OSAC Analysis Unclassified OSAC analytical reports and other resources

Europe

Published: February 07, 2023

The 59th Munich Security Conference (MSC) will take place February 17-19 in Munich, Germany at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof (HBH). Almost one year after Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the 2023 MSC will convene a series of high-ranking interna...

Consular Messages - Department of State travel advisories and alerts

Africa

Published: February 14, 2023

On February 13, 2023, the Government of Equatorial Guinea (GREG) announced a health alert for a localized outbreak of the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in the Kie-Ntem province and the Mongomo district of the Wele-Nzas province, both located in the ma...

Europe

Event: A protest has been scheduled to take in front of the Parliament Building. This protest has the potential to spread to surrounding streets causing traffic congestion, detours, and road closures.

Events - Upcoming OSAC meetings, webinars, and training courses

Global

Please join the OSAC Council for a webinar on "How to Stop a Crisis" led by Michelle Newcome on 01 March 2023 at 11 a.m. ET.

Event Start Date: March 15, 2023

Please RSVP to mcnicholsjv@state.gov or wartenberglg@state.gov RSVP with your contact information; Company Represented; Full name and Nationality Refreshments will be served.

OSAC's Energy Sector Committee (ESC) invites all ESC members to save the date for the upcoming ESC Spring Meeting at ExxonMobil Houston Campus in Spring, Texas on March 22 - 23, 2023.

The Europe Regional Committee (ERC) in partnership with the OSAC United Kingdom Country Chapter will be delivering a half day Crisis Management Workshop for Young Professionals in London on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. A full day Spring Conference and...

Event Start Date: March 29, 2023

All OSAC ASC members are encouraged to "save the date" for our next in-person Health, Safety, and Security Seminar hosted by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN on April 13 - 14.

East Asia & Pacific

On Wednesday, February 22, 2023, from 10:00 - 11:00 AM EST, OSAC's Pan-Asia Regional Committee (PARC) invites all OSAC Full-Access members to participate in a VIRTUAL discussion on climate security in Asia with Dr. Scott Moore of the University of P...

OSAC members based in New Zealand are invited to attend OSAC New Zealand's country chapter relaunch on 23 February 2023.

Event Start Date: February 17, 2023

Manila country chapter members are invited to a hybrid meeting on 17FEB2023 from 2-4 pm local (GMT +8).

Europe

Event Start Date: March 15, 2023

Please join the OSAC Germany for a country chapter meeting on March 15, 2023.

Middle East & North Africa

Event Start Date: February 15, 2023

The OSAC community is invited to attend a virtual meeting of the OSAC Algeria-Algiers Chapter on Wednesday, February 15 at 4:00pm Algiers local (10:00am Eastern).

Event Start Date: February 16, 2023

OSAC Bahrain - Manama Chapter will hold a Formal Network Gathering on Thursday, February 16 at 3:00pm local time (7:00am ET).

Event Start Date: March 15, 2023

The OSAC Iraq-Baghdad Chapter will meet in-person on Wednesday, March 15.

The MENA RC steering committee invites OSAC members to attend a virtual meeting at 10am ET on Wednesday, February 15 to discuss the escalation of tension in Israel and the West Bank.

Event Start Date: February 24, 2023

The OSAC UAE-Dubai Chapter will meet on Friday, February 24th to discuss crisis management desktop exercise fundamentals.

South & Central Asia

On Wednesday, February 22, 2023, from 10:00 - 11:00 AM EST, OSAC's Pan-Asia Regional Committee (PARC) invites all OSAC Full-Access members to participate in a VIRTUAL discussion on climate security in Asia with Dr. Scott Moore of the University of P...

Western Hemisphere

OSAC's Latin America Regional Committee (LARC) invites all members to save the date for the LARC's Spring Conference in Miami, FL from March 7-9.

Event Start Date: February 16, 2023

All OSAC Uruguay Chapter members are invited to attend a hybrid meeting on Thursday, February 16 at 14:00 Uruguay local (12:00 Eastern).

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of State or any affiliated organization(s). Nor have these opinions been approved or sanctioned by these organizations. This product is unclassified based on the definitions in E.O. 13526. OSAC’s full disclaimer and copyright policy is available on our site.  



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