World Status Report

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 

• Peru declares emergency as crime wave grips capital, singer shot dead (Reuters) – Peru’s government declared on Monday a state of emergency in the capital Lima while it also deployed soldiers to the streets to help quell a recent surge of violence that claimed the life of a popular singer. The death of prominent cumbia musician Paul Flores early Sunday provoked popular outrage, after the bus he was traveling in came under fire from unknown armed assailants. Flores died after he was shot, according to police. 
• Israeli strikes kill over 400 in Gaza, say Palestinians (Reuters) – Israeli airstrikes pounded Gaza and killed more than 400 people, Palestinian health authorities said on Tuesday, ending weeks of relative calm after talks to secure a permanent ceasefire stalled. Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas each accused the other of breaching the truce, which had broadly held since January, offering respite from war for the 2 million inhabitants of Gaza, where most buildings have been reduced to rubble. 
• Strike on market in north Mali kills 18 (The Straits Times) – An army air strike at a market in Mali’s northern Timbuktu region on Sunday killed at least 18 people and injured seven, a local rights group said, while the army said it was targeting terrorists. 
• Aid group in Haiti temporarily shutters hospital after gangs attack convoy evacuating medical staff (Associated Press) – Doctors Without Borders said Monday that four of its vehicles came under fire while they evacuated staff from a hospital in Haiti’s capital as gang violence in the city surges. 
• 5 military personnel killed in suspected CJNG attacks in Jalisco and Michoacán (Mexico News) – Two members of the National Guard (GN) and three Mexican soldiers were killed on Sunday in two separate attacks allegedly perpetrated by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Jalisco and Michoacán. 
• Mexican president pledges stronger missing persons efforts after mass grave found (Reuters) – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday she is signing a decree to strengthen the commission responsible for helping to search for missing persons and will send further reforms to Congress, following the discovery of a mass grave last week in a ranch in Teuchitlan, Jalisco state. 

Infrastructure 

• Bolivia – Fuel shortage (ERCC) – The fuel crisis in Bolivia causes long lines to buy food in La Paz. Dwindling foreign currency reserves and declining local gas production have led to fuel shortages. Citizens formed long lines at stores in La Paz amid fears of shortages of basic goods as part of the consequences of the fuel crisis. In several cities, drivers waited more than a day to refuel. The country recorded year-on-year inflation of 13.22% in February 2025, the highest in recent years, while rising food prices and fuel shortages threaten to worsen the economic crisis. 

Demonstrations 

• Protest in Tirana at Albanian government’s TikTok ban (DW) – Hundreds of young people gathered to protest the government’s decision to shut down TikTok for 12 months.The government says it’s protecting the young; the opposition says it is censorship ahead of May’s general election. 
• North Macedonia appeals for calm as nightclub fire deaths trigger protests (Associated Press) – Authorities in North Macedonia are appealing for calm as student groups called for fresh protests on Tuesday following the horrific nightclub fire that killed 59 people and injured more than 150 over the weekend. 

Environment 

• Ethiopia – Earthquake (ERCC) – USGS PAGER estimates that up to 6,000 people were exposed to severe shaking, 26,000 to very strong shaking and 14,000 to strong shaking. Since December 2024, this area between the Fentale and Dofan volcanoes, in southern Afar and northern Oromia regions, has been experiencing intense seismic activity with earthquakes that reached up to 6.0 M. More than 80,000 people have evacuated the affected areas since January and several infrastructures have been severely damaged. 
• Ecuador – Oil spill (ERCC) – On 17 March, approximately 15,000 people are affected by the oil spill in Esmeraldas. Of these families, at least 2,000 are settled on the riverbanks, which are stained with black, oily water. The river pollution caused by the pipeline rupture is the worst oil spill in the last eight years in that coastal area, leading to an environmental emergency. In addition, it caused the interruption in the drinking water service to residents. 
• Indonesia – Floods (ERCC) – As of 16 March, at least one resident was being rescued and a total of 2,000 people had been affected across 13 villages in East Java, with approximately 500 homes damaged. According to the ASEAN Disaster Information Network (ADINet), as of 15 March, 57 individuals had been displaced and 966 people had been affected in West Java. 
• Italy – Snow avalanches (ERCC) – On 17 March, a snow avalanche occurred in Trentino, in the area of Capanna Presena, Northern Italy, resulting in casualties. As of 17 March, two person died and one was injured due to the snow avalanche near Capanna Presena, one more person was injured in Courmayeur. Two people in Sestriere were able to rescue themselves, one of them slightly injured. 
• Low-pressure system brings rough weather to northern Japan along Pacific (NHK World) – Japanese weather officials say a rapidly growing low-pressure system is intensifying winds across the country, bringing windstorms and snow to areas along the Pacific in Hokkaido. 
• Flash floods in southern Spain prompt officials to evacuate over 350 homes (ABC News) – Flash floods unleashed by heavy rains promoted officials in southern Spain to evacuate over 350 homes, shut down roads and cancel classes on Tuesday. 

Migration 

• Ethiopia – Influx from South Sudan (ERCC) – About 23,000 have crossed into Gambella region, most of them women and children, with expectations that the numbers will increase while clashes continue in South Sudan. Wounded asylum seekers have also been streaming in, with over 140 suffering from weapon-related injuries. Over 30 reportedly died while being transported across the border. The main hospital is dealing with a lack of surgical equipment and blood, addressed by the ICRC and Médecins Sans Frontières. 

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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