World Status Report
March 20, 2024
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
- Gunmen in Nigeria kidnap about 100 in weekend attacks (Reuters), including women and children, in two weekend attacks in Kaduna state, residents and police said on Monday. Kidnappings by criminal gangs demanding ransoms have become an almost daily occurrence in Nigeria, especially in the north, with authorities seemingly powerless to stop them.
- UN reports a 35% increase in people affected by violence in South Sudan (AP). The number of people affected by violence in South Sudan surged by 35% in the last three months of 2023, the United Nations reported. Violence caused by ethnic tensions and disputes over resources such as land has increased in various parts of the country in recent months, particularly in the oil-rich region of Abyei.
- Uganda on alert as IS-linked ADF militants cross border from DR Congo (BBC). Ugandan security forces are on high alert after they said fighters from an Islamic State-linked group entered the country at the weekend and are planning attacks in urban areas, places of worship, schools and public events, according to the army.
- Tunisia-Libya border crossing closed due to clashes (Reuters). Tunisia and Libya have closed a major border crossing at Ras Jdir due to armed clashes, Tunisian state TV and Libyan authorities said.
- Toronto police report surge in hate crimes against Jews, Muslims (Reuters). The number of antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes in Canada’s largest city of Toronto have risen significantly during the war in Gaza that followed Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack inside Israel, Toronto police said on Monday.
- Gangs unleash new attacks on upscale areas in Haiti’s capital, with at least a dozen killed nearby (AP News). Gangs attacked two upscale neighborhoods in Haiti’s capital early Monday in a rampage that left at least a dozen people dead in surrounding areas.
Demonstrations
- Cuba – Food scarcity and nutrition crisis (ERCC). On 17 March, hundreds of Cubans protested against the lack of electricity, and food scarcity. The last protests, in July 2021 led to hundreds of detentions.
- Polish farmers block crossings on German border again (Deutsche Welle). Protestors are disrupting traffic with Germany as they express anger at EU agricultural regulations. Although Brussels has taken steps to loosen its rules, European farmers have not let up with their demos.
Environment
- Afghanistan – Earthquake (ERCC). An earthquake of 5.5 M at a depth of 10 km occurred in southern Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan, on 19 March at 0.35 UTC (5.05 local time). The epicentre was located approximately 64 km west-northwest of Nushki City in Pakistan and 187 km south of Kandahar City.
- Uruguay – Floods (ERCC). In the past few days, central and southern Uruguay have been affected by heavy rainfall causing floods, and severe weather-related incidents that resulted in evacuations and damage.
- Fiji – Floods (ERCC). Heavy rainfall have been affecting Fiji Islands since 16 March, causing floods, flash floods and river overflow that resulted in population displacements and damage.
- Iceland – Volcanic eruption (ERCC). According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO), as of 18 March at 18:30 UTC, the volcanic eruption that started on 16 March on the Reykjanes Peninsula, in southern Iceland, is relatively stable. The lava flow from the southern crater, that was approximately 330 m from the temporary closed Suðurstrandarvegur road, has not significantly advanced.
Health
- CDC measles alert urges MMR vaccine for youngest international travelers (CIDRAP). Amid rising measles cases internationally and in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today issued an alert to health providers urging them to ensure that children as young as 6 months old receive the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine before traveling internationally.
- Pakistan remained one of the world’s three smoggiest countries in 2023 (Reuters), as Bangladesh and India replaced Chad and Iran, with particulate matter about 15 times the level recommended by the World Health Organization, data showed.
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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