World Status Report
October 4, 2023
This report intends to give the UTD Community a snapshot of international risks, and other issues as reported by the linked media and official sources from the U.S. and other countries.
More health and security information for each country can be found in the travel advisories issued by the governments of the United States, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, and the CDC, ECDC, and WHO sites. Not all advise in these sites will apply to US travelers.
Please note the publication date of this report and go to the direct sources linked for the most up-to-date information. The information in this report may change without prior notice.
Security
- How new mission could support gang-ravaged Haiti (UN News). Criminal gangs have displaced thousands of Haitians, wreaking havoc across the Caribbean nation, and prompting calls for urgent help from President Ariel Henry. This week, the Security Council will consider a draft resolution on a new non-UN multinational mission under the UN Charter’s Chapter VII provision allowing the use of force.
- Atrocity crimes still being committed in Ethiopia, UN experts warn (UN News). Despite the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, the Commission has determined that serious violations are continuing in the Tigray region. It has confirmed the ongoing presence of Eritrean forces in Ethiopia, and continuing atrocities against civilians, in particular rape and other forms of sexual violence. The Commission has also expressed alarm about the deteriorating situation in the Amhara region, including emerging reports of extrajudicial killings and mass arrests. Most, if not all, of the structural drivers of violence and conflict remain unaddressed.
- Turkey detains nearly 1000, including alleged Kurdish militants, following suicide bomb attack (AP). Police detained almost a thousand people in raids across Turkey on Tuesday, including dozens with alleged links to Kurdish militants and an opposition news anchor, days after a suicide bomb attack in the Turkish capital.
- Islamist militants in Mali began a blockade of Timbuktu by cutting road access in August and then shut off river and air routes in an offensive that has put the city once again on the frontline of a jihadist insurgency (UN News). “This conflict is escalating fast,” said Ulf Laessing, the Bamako-based head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer foundation. “There is a risk of civil war.”
Natural Disasters
- Bolivia – Heatwave (ERCC). Heatwave, caused by El Niño phenomenon, is bringing record-high temperatures and a major drought to most parts of Bolivia. According to UN OCHA, six of the nine departments of the country are suffering a drastic lack of water impacting 200,000 families. In addition, more than 71 municipalities (20 % of the country) have declared a state of emergency.
- Sri Lanka – Severe weather and floods (ERCC). Over the past few days, heavy rainfall with thunderstorms and strong winds have hit most parts of Sri Lanka, causing floods, and severe weather-related incidents that resulted in damage.
- Vietnam – Severe weather and floods (ERCC). Over the past few days, heavy rain and thunderstorms have affected Dong Nai Province and Ho Chi Minh City, causing floods and resulting in damage and power outages.
- Rwanda – Landslide (ERCC). On 2 October, a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall occurred in Nyamasheke District, Western Province, south-western Rwanda, resulting in casualties.
- Bushfires flare in parts of southeast Australia (Yahoo News). STORY: Around 17,000 hectares (66 square miles) were ablaze on Tuesday in the eastern part of Victoria state’s Gippsland region after high winds spread fires overnight, according to state fire authorities.
Health
- Bangladesh dengue deaths top 1,000 in worst outbreak (Reuters). The death toll from Bangladesh’s worst dengue outbreak on record has topped 1,000 this year, official data showed, with hospitals struggling to make space for patients as the disease spreads rapidly in the densely-populated country.
- WHO recommends second malaria vaccine (CIDRAP). At least 28 countries in Africa plan on adding the malaria vaccine into their routine immunization programs.
Migration and Displacement
- Karabakh: Humanitarians respond to growing health needs (UN News). The humanitarian response to the Karabakh crisis continued apace on Tuesday as UN agencies and partners warned of urgent health needs among the more than 100,000 refugees who have entered Armenia. Concerns also remain for those unable to leave the Karabakh Region town of Khankendi – known as Stepanakert among Armenians – which the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said was close to empty. Its priority remains finding those too vulnerable to help themselves.
Please note the publication date of this report and go to the direct sources linked for the most up-to-date information. The information in this report may change without prior notice.
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