Overseas Security Advisory Council Daily News 3/16/23
March 16, 2023
Today's Headlines - OSAC's daily selection of global security news
Africa
U.S. commanders leading annual counter-terrorism exercises in West Africa have urged coastal countries to depend on each other to contain a spreading Islamist insurgency, rather than non-Western powers.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed Thursday on a rare trip to Niger, an outpost of support for Western military operations in a region where Russia is making inroads.
Three weeks after 25 million people voted in presidential elections that are being contested by the two main opposition parties over fraud allegations, Nigerians are once again set to cast a ballot.
Sonko is being tried for allegedly defaming a minister, a case that could determine whether he will be eligible to run in presidential elections next February.
I will stand for the Presidency in 2026,” Museveni’s son Muhoozi Kainerugaba wrote on Twitter late on Wednesday.
East Asia & Pacific
Lee said the leaders regretted the lack of progress on a peace plan led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Myanmar, which has been gripped by violence and unrest since a coup in February 2021 that upended a decade of democratic...
Taiwan warned Honduras on Thursday not to be tempted by the "poison" of aid from China no matter how indebted it was and ruled out getting involved in a bidding war for diplomatic allies with its mainland rival.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will seek to overcome disputes over history and quickly rebuild security and economic ties when they meet later Thursday
North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan on Thursday, hours before South Korea's president was due to fly to Tokyo for a summit expected to discuss ways to counter th...
Europe
Finland's President Sauli Niinistö will head to Turkey this week, purportedly to receive positive news from Ankara about his country's NATO membership bid. Niinistö arrives in Turkey on Thursday. He will visit areas devastated by the series of earth...
A general strike in Greece called in response to a rail disaster last month grounded flights and extensively disrupted services, with protests in cities across the country planned for Thursday. The strike also kept ferries to the ...
Polish special services have neutralized a Russian spy network that was preparing acts of sabotage on Polish territory and monitored shipments of Western weapons to Ukraine, Polish media outlet RMF FM reported on March 15.
A pro-Russian prankster impersonates a former US ambassador to Moscow in live video calls, part of a disinformation campaign that researchers say seeks to ensnare high-level Western officials since the invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow also appears to be stepping up influence operations to weaken European and U.S. support for sending more aid to the Ukrainian government.
Middle East & North Africa
Several people, including militants belonging to an outlawed Kurdish insurgency group, were killed in a mysterious helicopter crash in northern Iraq, according to a statement from the Iraqi Kurdish-run counterterrorism service on Thursday.
Israeli protesters pressed ahead Thursday with demonstrations against a contentious government plan to overhaul the judiciary, pushing back against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he rejected a compromise proposal that was meant to defuse th...
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday said those responsible for a rare roadside bomb attack this week which officials said may have involved Lebanon's Hezbollah, would be found and held accountable.
Some 2.5 tons of natural uranium stored in a site in war-torn Libya have gone missing, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said Thursday, raising safety and proliferation concerns.
South & Central Asia
Untimely rains and hailstorms could damage India’s key winter-sown crops, such as wheat, rapeseed and chickpeas, just before harvesting begins for plants that have already suffered some heat stress, industry and weather department officials say.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) -Pakistani security forces withdrew from around Imran Khan's home on Wednesday, putting a halt to clashes that had erupted after police tried to arrest the former prime minister for not showing up in a case against him rel...
Western Hemisphere
The sharp rise in the rate was due to an increase in the price for food and beverages, finishing up at 9.8% last month compared to January.
Taiwan warned Honduras on Thursday not to be tempted by the "poison" of aid from China no matter how indebted it was and ruled out getting involved in a bidding war for diplomatic allies with its mainland rival.
An explosion caused by accumulated gas in six adjoining coal mines in central Colombia has killed at least 11 workers and trapped 10 below ground, authorities said on Wednesday.
Mexican cartels have used the border city to press fentanyl into counterfeit pills. They then smuggle those pills into the U.S.
OSAC Analysis - Unclassified OSAC analytical reports and other resources
South & Central Asia
OSAC is trying a new product format: a brief update about topline private sector security concerns in each region. This update covers Pakistan's growing economic turmoil, Indian authorities searching BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai, and leadership t...
Consular Messages - Department of State travel advisories and alerts
Africa
Protest activity has been reported on Rue le Prince between Hamdallaye and Bambetto traffic circles. As always, there is the possibility that sporadic, pop-up protest activity may occur in Conakry at any given time. When violence occurs during these...
Europe
Event: Vienna Police announced today that there is a credible but non-specific threat of attacks against Vienna churches, based on Austrian intelligence sources. As a precautionary measure, there will be increased presence of police forces throughou...
Public and private sector employees have announced a 24-hour Panhellenic General Strike throughout Greece for March 16, 2023. In Athens, demonstrations related to the strike are scheduled at the Propylaia (Central Athens) at 11:30 a.m., in Klafthmon...
Event: A protest is planned for tomorrow, Thursday, March 16 at 11:00 AM in downtown Chisinau, near Parliament. Additional police presence and traffic congestion in the area is expected due to street closures associated with the protest. A section...
Western Hemisphere
On March 14, 2023, the state of Rio Grande do Norte experienced a second consecutive night of violence with attacks by criminals on public buildings, stores, cars, buses, and bank branches, among other locations in at least 15 cities.
Events - Upcoming OSAC meetings, webinars, and training courses
Global
OSAC Tanzania Country Chapter Meeting
The U.S. Embassy in Lilongwe invites you to attend U.S. Department of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) Country Chapter meeting, on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, from 9am to 10:30am at Farmer’s Daughter Café.
All Full Access OSAC members are invited to participate in OSAC's 1.5 day intensive "Topical Forum" on mitigating and managing the threats most impacting U.S. organizations operating around the world today May 9-10, 2023 at the US Department of Stat...
The OSAC Academia Sector Committee cordially invites all ASC members to attend the Spring Health, Safety, & Security Seminar hosted by Vanderbilt University, April 13 - 14.
The OSAC Energy Sector Committee (ESC) invites all ESC members to attend 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...
Africa
Tanzania Country Chapter Meeting
East Asia & Pacific
All OSAC Pan-Asia Regional Committee (PARC) members are invited to attend the "Bouncing Back: Security in 2023 & Beyond" PARC Summit on April 26 - 27, 2023 at Bloomberg in Singapore.
OSAC Phnom Penh country chapter members are invited to attend a chapter meeting at the US Embassy on 28 March from 3:30 - 5:30p local.
OSAC Tokyo country chapter members are invited to a meeting at the Disney Ambassador Hotel from 3-5p local on 29 March.
Join the Japan Country Chapter for our first in-person OSAC meeting in several years. During this kickoff meeting we will introduce the Japan Country Chapter Team and formulate OSAC priorities for the rest of 2023.
OSAC Manila country chapter members are invited to attend a meeting on 20 April 2023.
All OSAC Vietnam Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh members are invited to an in-person meeting on 17 April 2023 from 0830 - 1000a local.
Europe
All OSAC Bulgaria Country Chapter members are invited to attend the Chapter's upcoming webinar, "How to Stop a Crisis," on March 30, 2023 at 3:00 PM Sofia local (EET).
Middle East & North Africa
The OSAC Middle East and North Africa Regional Committee (MENA RC) will hold its 9th annual conference May 31 - June 1 on the campus of NYU Abu Dhabi.
OSAC Bahrain - Manama Chapter will hold a Formal Network Gathering on Thursday, March 16 at 1:00pm local time (7:00am ET).
The OSAC Egypt - Cairo Chapter will meet at 1:00pm on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
The OSAC Iraq-Baghdad Chapter will meet in-person on Wednesday, March 22.
South & Central Asia
All OSAC Pan-Asia Regional Committee (PARC) members are invited to attend the "Bouncing Back: Security in 2023 & Beyond" PARC Summit on April 26 - 27, 2023 at Bloomberg in Singapore.
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