Overseas Security Advisory Council (OASC) Global Security Newletter 1/8/2023

 

January 08, 2023

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

Africa

The head of the United Nations human rights office called Saturday for a prompt, transparent investigation into the deaths of at least 28 people whose bodies were found in northwest Burkina Faso last month.

Somalia’s government claimed Saturday that the al-Shabab extremist group has for the first time asked to open negotiations, amid a military offensive the government has described as “total war.”

A journalists’ union in South Sudan asserted Friday that six staffers with the national broadcaster are detained in connection with footage apparently showing the country’s president urinating on himself during an event.

East Asia & Pacific

After two years of separation from his wife in mainland China, Hong Kong resident Cheung Seng-bun made sure he was among the first to cross the border following the reopening of crossing points Sunday. The ability of residents of the semi-autonomous...

Europe

Thousands of Kurds from around France and Europe marched through Paris on Saturday to show their anger over the unresolved killing of three Kurdish female activists in the French capital 10 years ago. The marchers are also mourning three people kill...

Shellfire echoed on Saturday around the near-deserted streets of the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, current focus of the most intense fighting in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, despite Moscow's declaration of a ceasefire for Eastern Orthodox Christmas.

Middle East & North Africa

Iran said it executed two men Saturday convicted of allegedly killing a paramilitary volunteer during a demonstration, the latest executions aimed at halting the nationwide protests now challenging the country’s theocracy.

Thousands of Israelis took to the streets Saturday evening to protest plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government that opponents say threaten democracy and freedoms. The protesters gathered in the central city of Tel Aviv days after ...

South & Central Asia

Authorities in an Indian Himalayan town have stopped construction activities and started moving hundreds of people to temporary shelters after a temple collapsed and cracks appeared in over 600 houses because of sinking of land, officials said Satur...

Militants opened fire on a security van killing a policeman Saturday in northwestern Pakistan, a region bordering Afghanistan where violence has spiked in recent months, local police said. A search was underway to find the attackers who fled the sce...

Western Hemisphere

The Honduran government on Saturday extended a state of emergency declaration for 45 days, expanding it to additional areas of the country in an effort to fight criminal gangs amid high levels of violence. The state of emergency, in place since Dec....

Two subway trains collided between two stations Saturday in Mexico City, killing at least one person and injuring 41, authorities said. Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said on her Twitter account that the accident happened on Line 3 of the capital’s Metro s...

Nineteen suspected gang members and 10 military personnel were killed in a wave of violence surrounding the arrest of Mexican drug cartel boss Ovidio Guzman in the northern state of Sinaloa, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said on Friday.

OSAC Analysis Unclassified OSAC analytical reports and other resources

Africa

Published: January 06, 2023

West Africans face historic levels of food insecurity that are likely to worsen throughout 2023, increasing risks of economic and political instability, crime, and terrorism. Private sector organizations operating throughout West Africa should note ...

Europe

Published: January 06, 2023

The 52nd World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting will take place January 16-20 in Davos, Switzerland. The report provides information on potential security concerns to the private sector during the event. It also includes an overview of security m...

Middle East & North Africa

Published: January 06, 2023

OSAC reissued this Country Security Report (CSR) on January 6, 2023 following minor updates.

Consular Messages - Department of State travel advisories and alerts

Western Hemisphere

In-person consular services at the U.S. Consular Agency in Mazatlan will remain suspended on Monday, January 9, 2023. This is a continuation of the suspension in services previously announced on January 5, stemming from the violence across Sinaloa...

Events - Upcoming OSAC meetings, webinars, and training courses

East Asia & Pacific

OSAC's Pan-Asia Regional Committee invites all OSAC Full-Access members to participate in a discussion on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) with BG(R) William King of Booz Allen Hamilton on January 11, 2023 at 11:00 AM EST.

OSAC members based in New Zealand are invited to attend OSAC New Zealand's country chapter relaunch on 23 February 2023.

Event Start Date: January 19, 2023

OSAC Manila country chapter members are invited to attend a hybrid meeting on 19 January 2023 from 2-4 PM local.

Europe

OSAC's Pan-Asia Regional Committee invites all OSAC Full-Access members to participate in a discussion on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) with BG(R) William King of Booz Allen Hamilton on January 11, 2023 at 11:00 AM EST.

South & Central Asia

OSAC's Pan-Asia Regional Committee invites all OSAC Full-Access members to participate in a discussion on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) with BG(R) William King of Booz Allen Hamilton on January 11, 2023 at 11:00 AM EST.

Western Hemisphere

OSAC's Latin America Regional Committee (LARC) invites all members to save the date for the LARC's Spring Conference in Miami, FL on March 8.

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. 

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