Overseas Security Advisory Council Daily News 3/30/23

 

March 30, 2023

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

Africa

The UN envoy to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) warned the Security Council on Wednesday that the security situation in eastern Congo has "deteriorated considerably" in recent months and that the humanitarian situation has become "increasingl...

Sporadic violence broke out in Kenya on Thursday, the third day of opposition demonstrations to protest at the government and the high cost of living.

A court is Senegal has handed a two-month suspended sentence to leading opposition leader Ousmane Sonko for libel, his lawyer said. The court in the capital, Dakar, found the 48-year-old guilty of defaming Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang.

The Senegalese opposition announced on Tuesday that it would push ahead with demonstrations in Dakar on Wednesday and Thursday despite a ban, while authorities said they had arrested four members of a group seeking to prevent the resumption of the t...

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will step onto the front lines of the battle for democracy in Africa on Thursday, spending time in Tanzania as it makes fragile progress toward restoring its reputation as a more inclusive government.

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Wednesday flagged off 5,000 soldiers for a peace mission in the troubled North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

East Asia & Pacific

The National League for Democracy was one of 40 parties ordered dissolved after failing to meet a registration deadline ahead of delayed elections they have denounced as a sham.

GENEVA — Indonesia was stripped of hosting the men’s U20 World Cup on Wednesday only eight weeks before the start of the tournament amid political turmoil regarding Israel’s participation. FIFA said Indonesia was removed from staging the 24-team ...

North Korea has been building up a ballistic missile arsenal on the stated premise that it needs to deter an attack on it by US and South Korean forces.

Europe

A US journalist working for The Wall Street Journal has been detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage, the FSB security service says. Evan Gershkovich, an experienced Russia reporter, was working in Yekaterinburg at the time of his detention.

IAEA director general Rafael Grossi warns that hostilities around Zaporizhzhia risk ‘major nuclear accident which will spare no one’

Middle East & North Africa

Shimon Mizrahi points from his apartment balcony out to a large two-lane road.

Amal Oraby is usually a fixture at street protests. But as tens of thousands of Israelis have demonstrated for months against a contentious government plan to overhaul the judiciary, Oraby is sitting this one out.

South & Central Asia

Bangladesh police on Wednesday charged a reporter from a leading newspaper for producing "false news" after an article on high food prices went viral, stoking fears about media freedom.

Four policemen were killed by a roadside bomb as they scrambled to protect a police station under siege by Taliban militants in northwest Pakistan, officials said Thursday. Senior local administration official Tariqullah,

At least five people have been killed in recent weeks and more injured in Pakistan in stampedes at sites distributing free flour under a government-backed scheme to help families struggling with soaring costs of basic staples.

Western Hemisphere

Former President Jair Bolsonaro arrived back in Brazil on Thursday after a three-month stay in Florida, seeking a new role on the political scene as authorities in the capital braced for the far-right populist’s return. Hundreds of supporters dresse...

Militants in Colombia killed nine soldiers and wounded nine others in an attack early Wednesday on a military unit securing a northern pipeline, officials said, complicating efforts by the country’s new leftist president to negotiate a lasting peace...

Ecuador’s Constitutional Court ruled Wednesday the opposition-dominated National Assembly can take up the question of whether to impeach President Guillermo Lasso over allegations of crimes against state security and corruption. The ruling was only ...

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador greet as they attend an official welcoming ceremony during the North American Leader's Summit at Na

OSAC Analysis Unclassified OSAC analytical reports and other resources

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...

South & Central Asia

Published: March 29, 2023

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is facing multiple legal challenges, to include possible arrest, which would likely prompt his supporters to protest across major cities in Pakistan, especially in the Punjab and Khyber Pakthunkwa provinces...

Consular Messages - Department of State travel advisories and alerts

Africa

Gunfire was reported at approximately 9:15pm in the Koulouba neighborhood of Ouagadougou. American citizens are advised to limit their movement and stay informed of local media reports.  Contact the Embassy at (226) 25 49 53 00 if you are in need of...

Western Hemisphere

Published: March 29, 2023

Out of an abundance of caution, we want to inform U.S. citizens that the embassy has increased security protocols due to receiving threats against U.S. interests.

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.

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: 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

REGISTRATION OPEN>>The OSAC Middle East and North Africa Regional Committee (MENA RC) will hold its 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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