Overseas Security Advisory Council Daily News 3/6/2023

 

March 06, 2023

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

Africa

Jihadi assaults have increased this year, leaving dozens of civilians and members of the security forces dead every week.

A Cameroonian businessman has been charged with complicity in torture, a spokesperson for his business group said on Saturday, after he was arrested last month in connection with the murder of a prominent journalist.

The first part of the Burundian troops pledged to deploy to the volatile eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) arrives in Goma.

Four jihadist prisoners escaped the central prison in Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott on Sunday night after an exchange of gunfire there in which two national guards were killed.

South Africa’s ever-worsening power crisis — putting homes and businesses without electricity for up to 10 hours per day — is strangling Africa’s most developed economy

East Asia & Pacific

Thirteen northern Chinese cities surrounding the capital Beijing have issued pollution alerts over the last few days, raising concerns that an industrial recovery in the region is increasing smog levels.

Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng warned on Monday the island has to be on alert this year for a "sudden entry" by the Chinese military into areas close to its territory amid rising military tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo said on Monday he supports the country's election commission in mounting an appeal against a controversial court ruling that calls for the 2024 presidential and general elections to be delayed.

Europe

Unions are threatening to shut down France’s economy this week in what they hope is their toughest riposte yet to President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age

Greece has been plunged into anger following the crash last Tuesday between a freight train and a passenger train. The two trains collided head-on with each other, causing both to derail and burst into flames.

With a disregard for losses, the paramilitary group’s penal battalions have advanced at a time when the regular Russian military remains largely stalled.

Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said his representative had been denied access to the headquarters of Russia's military command in Ukraine on Monday, in a further deepening of his rift with the defence establishment.

The head of the Wagner mercenary force that has led the assault renewed his criticism of Moscow’s military leaders over the weekend and warned that Russia’s positions in the area could be in jeopardy if the supply issues weren’t resolved.

Middle East & North Africa

The reservists are angry at PM Netanyahu’s attempts to change the Israeli judiciary, in what they see as an anti-democratic move.

When Moheidein Bazazo opened his Beirut mini-market in 1986, during some of the fiercest fighting in Lebanon’s civil war, he didn’t expect it to thrive. But several years later, he had shelves full of food and needed 12 employees to help him manage ...

South & Central Asia

A massive fire at a crammed camp for Rohingya Muslims in southern Bangladesh left thousands of the refugees homeless, a fire official and the United Nations said. No casualties were reported at Balukhali camp in Cox’s Bazar district.

Delhi Police on Monday issued guidelines for Holi celebrations in the city and said strict action will be taken against drunk driving. In a statement, Delhi Police said elaborate security arrangements are being made and random checking will be condu...

An Israeli doctor in his 30s was killed in an elephant attack on Friday in Nepal's Chitwan National Park. Shmuel Buikner's body was found lying in the forest and he was identified with the help of ...

Pakistan’s media regulator has banned media broadcasts of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s speeches as police arrived at one of his homes to deliver another court summons for the ousted premier

At least nine police officers were killed and 11 others injured in a suspected suicide blast in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Monday, authorities said, the latest in a string of recent attacks against security personnel in the South Asi...

Sri Lanka's central bank raised interest rates on Friday to tackle inflation and said it would relax its currency band to move towards a market-determined exchange rate as it seeks to secure a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.

Western Hemisphere

Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing former president of Brazil, has declared that his “mission is not over” and that he plans to return home this month, despite the threat of prosecution

Increasingly sophisticated weapons are being trafficked into Haiti mainly from the United States and especially from Florida amid worsening lawlessness in the impoverished Caribbean nation, according to a new U.

Four Americans drove across the US’s border with Mexico on Friday in their white minivan, where they were ambushued by armed men

OSAC Analysis Unclassified OSAC analytical reports and other resources

Africa

Congo, Democratic Republic of the / Rwanda - Armed Group's Advances in Eastern DRC Threaten Critical Supply Routes
Published: March 03, 2023

The March 23 Movement (M23), a Rwanda-backed, UN- and U.S.-sanctioned armed group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) gained significant territorial control in the region in the past several months and controls key supply routes to Gom...

East Asia & Pacific

Published: February 27, 2023

Two years after Burma’s military removed the country’s civilian-led government in a coup on February 1, 2021, the security situation in the country has deteriorated significantly. The military-appointed de facto authorities have maintained a hold ov...

Published: February 28, 2023

Following historic rains and a once-in-a-generation cyclone, the issue of climate security in New Zealand has come to the fore. The severity of recent weather events, subsequent infrastructure damage, and frequency of transportation disruptions all ...

Middle East & North Africa

Published: March 01, 2023

As violence in the West Bank continues, OSAC will update the private sector as needed. Since our last report on Israel, tensions have worsened between Israelis and Palestinians. OSAC continues to support our previous assessment that as the security ...

Consular Messages - Department of State travel advisories and alerts

Africa

Prison break by four potentially dangerous persons who killed two prison guards during escape. U.S. government personnel are advised to minimize movements in the city due to ongoing police operations.

Events - Upcoming OSAC meetings, webinars, and training courses

Global

All OSAC Members are invited to attend the Malabo Chapter Reception on 14 March at the Magno Suites Hotel and Restaurant.

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 Africa Regional Committee cordially invites all Full-Access Members to attend a two-and-a-half day conference hosted at the Hilton Sandton in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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...

Event Start Date: March 29, 2023

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 09, 2023

OSAC Perth Country Chapter members are invited to an in-person meeting on 09 March from 0900-1130 am local.

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.

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

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.

Event Start Date: March 15, 2023

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

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: March 06, 2023

Join OSAC Bahamas for a Chapter Revitalization meeting on Monday, March 6 at 3:00 PM ET!

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