Intelligence Fusion Updates 5/12/2023

 

Intelligence Fusion Weekly Newsletter Email Banner 2023

Friday 12th May 2023

Weekly rundown of the global security landscape, highlighting key incidents that have taken place in each region in the last seven days;

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SOUTH AMERICA

Peru

In one of the worst mining accidents in Peru for decades, 27 workers have died in a gold mine fire that was caused by an electrical short-circuit. The fire was fuelled because the gold mine’s timber tunnel supports were soaked in oil which led to the fire spreading rapidly. When the fire broke out on Saturday 6th May, the miners were working at about 100 metres below the surface. To make the situation even worse, the closest police station to the mine in the Araquipa Region was around 90 minutes away. The emergency response was a long and complicated process which resulted in the recovery operations ending on Monday 8th May. Whilst 27 miners died of carbon monoxide inhalation, the mining company, Yanaquiha, said that 175 miners were rescued from the gold mine.

 

In response to the tragic accident, Yanaquiha has launched an investigation to understand all the details but has said their full focus is on supporting the relatives of the deceased miners. However, relatives of the deceased miners have demanded that the mining company must assume the expenses of the relatives. To see the progress of the investigation, the Minister of Energy & Mines and the Governor of Arequipa visited the gold mine to show support to the miners.

 

Although it is not uncommon for there to be tragic mining incidents in Peru, with 39 mining deaths in Peru in 2022, the scale of the disaster has come as a shock to the nation. The mining industry is very important to Peru, with 4% of the entire world’s annual gold supply exported from Peru, as well as being the world’s second-largest producer of silver, copper and zinc.This rush to export these critical elements means that only 2,000 miners out of 15,000 in the Arequipa Region have been formalised, which has led to corruption and illegal mining potentially making gold mines more vulnerable in Peru.

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NORTH AMERICA

US-Mexico Border

The Biden administration has implemented new regulations to reject asylum claims by almost all migrants who enter the country illegally. These changes follow the expiration of Title 42, which permitted the US to expeditiously turn away migrants at the US-Mexico border over the past three years due to coronavirus restrictions.

 

The new stringent rules will seek to prohibit migrants from seeking asylum if they travelled through other nations en route to the US-Mexico border or failed to apply online first. Such individuals will also be "presumed ineligible for asylum". The US government plans to establish new migrant processing centers in Colombia and Guatemala to alleviate undocumented immigration, while Mexico has agreed to admit up to 30,000 migrants monthly from nearby countries within Central and South America. In return, the US has agreed to accept a total of up to 100,000 people from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador who have relatives in the US. The new rules are expected to be challenged by immigrant advocacy groups.

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AFRICA

Tunisia

At least 5 people have been killed near Africa’s oldest synagogue on Djerba Island.

 

According to Tunisia’s Interior Ministry, a guard at the National Guard’s naval centre on the island killed a colleague. The guard then made his way to the Aghir synagogue on the island and began firing indiscriminately at security guards at the synagogue who confronted him and killed him.Two visitors, a 30-year-old Tunisian and a 42-year-old French national, were also among the victims of the shooting. The attacker’s motivation has not been made clear yet.

 

The incident occurred during the Lag Ba'omer festival which drew 5,000 pilgrims from the site, mostly from overseas. Djerba itself is home to 1,300 Jews. The synagogue had previously been attacked in 2002 by an Al Qaeda suicide bomber who drove a truck loaded with natural gas canisters to the synagogue before detonating it. 19 civilians died in that attack. Tunisia’s tourism industry is likely to suffer as it did after a pair of attacks in Tunis and Sousse in 2015 that killed dozens of foreign holidaymakers.

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MIDDLE EAST & ASIA

Laos

Unrest spread quickly across Pakistan following news that Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, had been detained at court in Islamabad over accusations of not cooperating in a corruption investigation. In most cities, protests involved supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) who blocked roads and gathered outside of police stations. The protests quickly escalated on 10th May, with protesters forcing entry into military sites, cantonments and the homes of politicians. In certain instances, such as in Quetta, protesters escalated to clashes with security forces, with fatalities reported among protesters. Whilst protesters have been pictured with firearms in several instances, armed clashes between protesters and security forces have not been widespread.

 

News that Pakistan’s supreme court has ruled Khan’s arrest as illegal may pressure the government to release Khan, but failure to do so will likely lead to additional unrest across the country at a higher intensity than those already seen.

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EUROPE

Russia

On 9th May 2023, the annual Victory Day Parade was marked across Russia. While many parades were cancelled across Russia and the parade in Moscow was a much smaller event than usual - as shown by the sole T-34 tank in the parade - this notably embarrassing occasion for President Putin may be short lived.

 

Absent from the parade was the T-14 Armata, Russia's latest tank. Prior reporting had indicated the T-14 Armata's had been deployed to Ukraine, although reports at the time were vague and from within Russia. With the T-14's absence from Moscow being an embarrassment for President Putin, this adds weight to the T-14 being deployed and may see battlefield successes for Russian forces in Ukraine.

NEW: Article

Afghanistan Update 

Afghanistan Situation Update [Apr23] - Featured Image

Terrorism, Insurgency and Crime in Afghanistan

 

What is the current security situation in Afghanistan? From NRF resistance fighters to IS-KP terror attacks, we look at insurgency and terrorism in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in August 2021 - as well as how the Taliban have dealt with crime in the country. Learn more about the current trends surrounding NRF activity and anti-Taliban resistance, Al-Qaeda's relationship with the Taliban and conflict with IS-KP, and what crime trends we can identify and how the Taliban have enforced their own legal system.

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