Overseas Security Advisory Council Daily News 3/28/23

 

March 28, 2023

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

Africa

In the next seven days, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to cause floods in flood-prone areas in the eastern parts of Ethiopia, southwestern and northern Kenya, eastern parts of Burundi and Rwanda, and much of Tanzania.

A surge in attacks in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed more than 700 lives at the hands of militia fighters since December, the United Nations said Monday.

Pirates have attacked and boarded a Danish-owned ship in the Gulf of Guinea and all communications channels with the vessel are down, a spokesperson for shipping company Monjasa said on Tuesday.

Harris Monday pledged stressed that U.S. interests in African nations extend beyond competing with China.

The African Union is calling for calm and restraint in Kenya following deadly protests by the opposition groups that saw deaths and rival gangs loot and destroy property.

Officers of the Uganda Police Force have performed anti-riot drills in anticipation of Kenya-like protests in urban areas due to the rising cost of living.

East Asia & Pacific

Tokyo is demanding that China release a Japanese national detained in Beijing earlier this month on suspicion of spying

Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou began a 12-day tour of China with a symbolism-laden visit to the mausoleum where the founding father of both China and Taiwan is entombed

More than 180 Rohingya Muslims landed in Indonesia's Aceh province on Monday, officials said, the latest among hundreds who have fled by boat from desperate conditions in Myanmar and in camps in Bangladesh.

Europe

Armenian's purported plans to become a member state of the ICC has enraged Russia, with one Foreign Ministry reported as saying there would be consequences.

Hungary ratified Finland’s Nato membership on Monday in the latest sign of prime minister Viktor Orbán slowly turning away from Russia as the economic benefits of their relationship fades. Tamás Menczer,

French police are on the lookout for more protesters bent on violence joining marches against planned pension reform, the chief of police in Paris said on Tuesday, hours before a new round of country-wide demonstrations and strikes.

Ukraine's president said Russian troops were holding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant "hostage" and its safety could not be guaranteed until they left it, while his forces shut the frontline town of

Russia-backed separatist leader Denis Pushilin says Moscow’s troops are advancing in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and have almost taken full control of a metals plant there, as Kyiv aimed to wear down what it called “overwhelming” enemy for...

Middle East & North Africa

Israel’s political factions opposed to embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began setting up negotiating teams Tuesday after he paused a controversial judicial overhaul plan that had triggered unprecedented street protests and a spiraling dom...

At least 20 pilgrims have been killed and 29 others injured in a bus crash in Saudi Arabia, local media report.

South & Central Asia

A suicide bomber was spotted and killed as he approached a checkpoint near the foreign ministry in Kabul, but his bomb still went off in the heart of the capital.

Pakistan on Monday deferred a decision on a request by pharmaceutical firms to raise the prices of more than 100 medicines, prolonging a stand-off with an industry struggling to stem losses from soaring inflation and a weakened currency.

Western Hemisphere

A 13-year-old student in Brazil’s biggest city fatally stabbed a 71-year-old teacher and wounded three teachers and two fellow students Monday in a knife attack at a public school, state officials said. The five wounded victims from the Thomazia Mon...

A huge landslide swept over an Andean community in central Ecuador, burying dozens of homes, killing at least seven people and sending rescuers on a frantic search for survivors, authorities said Monday.

Guatemala's presidential race kicked off on Monday, a day after the electoral authority finalized its approved candidate lineup for the June election, even as critics blasted decisions to disqualify some candidates while allowing others to run.

This is the second installment of a 2-part series. Read Part 1 here. The U.S.-Mexico relationship is under strain from fentanyl smuggling, as politicians on both sides of the Rio Grande scramble to respond to a drug trade that now kills more than 70,

A fire at an immigration detention center in northern Mexico, near the U.S. border, has claimed the lives of at least three dozen migrants, Mexican authorities said.Mexico's National Institute of Migration (INM) said 39 foreign migrants died in a fi...

OSAC Analysis Unclassified OSAC analytical reports and other resources

East Asia & Pacific

Published: March 21, 2023

In 2019, Indonesia announced that the country would move its capital city from Jakarta to a new, yet-to-be-built city known as Nusantara. Though the government is moving ahead with the project, it is likely to continue to take several decades to com...

Middle East & North Africa

Published: March 23, 2023

After over a year of discussions in Iraq and Oman, Iran and Saudi Arabia have announced they are reestablishing diplomatic relations. This report reviews the recent diplomatic rapprochement, potential positive security effects for the private sector...

Published: March 24, 2023

After receiving many inquiries regarding the judicial reform protests in Israel and the violence in the West Bank, OSAC’s MENA Team launched this survey to gain a better understanding of the operational posture of OSAC members operating in Israel an...

Consular Messages - Department of State travel advisories and alerts

Africa

Members of a group representing persons with disabilities have planned a demonstration for Tuesday, March 28th starting at approximately 0600 at Fest Africa Space.  The demonstration may impact traffic.

Media have reported calls for countrywide demonstrations that could take place weekly on Mondays and Thursdays for an indefinite period. 

Europe

The following strikes are scheduled for Tuesday, March 28, 2023 (12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.), unless otherwise noted:

Events - Upcoming OSAC meetings, webinars, and training courses

Global

Event Start Date: April 05, 2023

OSAC Tanzania Country Chapter Meeting

Event Start Date: April 26, 2023

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.

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.

Event Start Date: March 29, 2023

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.

Event Start Date: March 28, 2023

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.

Event Start Date: March 29, 2023

OSAC Tokyo country chapter members are invited to a meeting at the Disney Ambassador Hotel from 3-5p local on 29 March.

Event Start Date: March 29, 2023

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.

Event Start Date: April 20, 2023

OSAC Manila country chapter members are invited to attend a meeting on 20 April 2023.

Europe

Event Start Date: March 30, 2023

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).

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...

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.

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.

Western Hemisphere

Event Start Date: April 13, 2023

Join OSAC Dominican Republic for their first Chapter meeting in several years on Thursday, April 13 at 8:15 AM ET!

Event Start Date: April 06, 2023

The OSAC Jamaica Chapter is happy to invite all Chapter members to their first Country Chapter meeting in Montego Bay in several years on March 6 at 11:00 AM local.

Event Start Date: May 16, 2023

OSAC FBSC members are invited to participate in our annual conference on 16 - 17 May hosted by the LDS Church in Salt Lake City, Utah.

All Full Access OSAC members are invited to participate in OSAC's 1.5 day intensive Crisis Management Forum May 9-10, 2023 at the US Department of State Headquarters in Washington, DC. Registration is required.

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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