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 

• Israel is ‘seizing territory’ and will ‘divide up’ Gaza, Netanyahu says (The Guardian) – Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is “seizing territory” and intends to “divide up” the Gaza Strip by building a new security corridor, amid a major expansion of aerial and ground operations in the besieged Palestinian territory. 
• 2 leading Turkish journalists are detained on charges their newspapers say are based on their work (AP News) – Two of Turkey’s leading journalists were detained Thursday on what their newspapers said were false charges stemming from their work. Writers Timur Soykan of BirGun and Cumhuriyet’s Murat Agirel were arrested at their homes on charges of making threats and blackmail in an investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. 
• 8 members of powerful cartel shot dead days after one of its top commanders killed in Colombia (CBS News) – Eight members of Colombia’s largest cartel have died in clashes with security forces, the army said Tuesday, the latest in a series of raids against one of Latin America’s most powerful criminal groups. Days after the death of a top Gulf Clan capo, the military said it had killed several more of the cartel’s members and taken two captive during an operation in the country’s northwest. In a social media post, the army said it had also seized “abundant war material and supplies.” 
• Nursing home fire in northern China leaves 20 dead (The Guardian) – Twenty people have died in a fire at a nursing home in northern China’s Hebei province, Beijing’s state news agency Xinhua said on Wednesday. The fire broke out on Tuesday night at the nursing home in Longhua County, roughly 180km northeast of the Chinese capital Beijing, Xinhua said. 
• Red Cross concerned by drone attacks on critical infrastructure in Sudan (Reuters) – The Red Cross raised alarm on Thursday at the growing use of drone attacks by warring parties on hospitals, electricity and water infrastructure in Sudan, which it said was contributing to widespread human rights violations. 

Demonstrations 

• Tunisians protest against president as jailed politicians begin hunger strike (Reuters) – Hundreds of Tunisians staged two protest rallies on Wednesday against what they say is the authoritarian rule of President Kais Saied and demanded the release of political prisoners, while six detained opposition figures held a hunger strike. 

Environment 

• Malaysia – Floods (ERCC) – On 5 April, floods triggered by heavy rainfall affected the states of Johor (in southern Peninsular Malaysia) and Sabah (in northeastern Borneo), resulting in displacement. 472 people have been displaced and evacuated to two evacuation centres. 
• Afghanistan – Floods (ERCC) – Heavy rains and floods have been affecting Badakhshan Province in northeastern Afghanistan since 8 April, resulting in loss of life and significant damage. As of 9 April, media reports indicate one fatality and three people missing due to flash floods. The road linking Badakhshan to the neighboring Takhar Province has been closed, and farmland has been destroyed. 
• Ecuador – Severe weather and oil spillover (ERCC) – The humanitarian impact of the rainy season continues to increase across much of Ecuador. The country has experienced more than 1,000 landslides and nearly 1,000 flood events. 34 people have died (most of them in the provinces of Loja, Manabí, and Guayas), and 117 others have been injured. Additionally, nearly 142,000 people have been affected, and more than 43,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed. 
• Paraguay – Floods (ERCC) – Heavy rains resulting in floods have been affecting the departments of Boquerón and Alto Paraguay in northwest Paraguay, disrupting access to basic services for the affected population. As of 9 April, more than 8,500 families have been affected, with 8,000 in Boquerón and 500 in Alto Paraguay. 

Health 

• Preventable ‘meningitis belt’ deaths targeted in health agency action plan (UN News) – Millions of deaths could be avoided from meningitis if countries are able to adopt new guidelines designed to diagnose and treat the disease more effectively, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. People anywhere, at any age can be infected with meningitis, which is transmitted through respiratory secretions or droplets in close human contact. Low and middle-income nations are worst-affected.   
• Switzerland confirms clade 1b mpox as Hong Kong issues warning (CIDRAP) – A traveler returning to Switzerland from Africa has been confirmed to have clade 1b mpox. This is the first detection of clade 1b in Switzerland, which is more virulent compared to the clade 2 virus that circulated the globe in 2022 primarily among men who have sex with men.  

Migration 

• Uganda – Refugeee influx (ERCC) – Since January 2025, more than 40,000 refugees have crossed the border from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There are currently 3,000 new arrivals crossing Bunagana border point each week. They mainly arrive in the districts of Kisoro, Kanungu and Kikuube. This represents a 500% increase compared to the same period in 2024. The reception centers in Nyakabande and Matanda are overcrowded, operating at 500% of their capacity. Most refugees fled Rutshuru, Masisi, and Goma, due to armed conflict, looting, rape, killings, and hunger. 

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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