INFOCUS QUARTERLY SUMMARY TERRORISM & CONFLICT, NATURAL DISASTERS AND CIVIL UNREST Q2 2021 FocusPoint International 866-340-8569 861 SW 78th Avenue, Suite B200 [email protected] Plantation, FL 33324 www.focuspointintl.com SUMMARY NN02 NATURAL DISASTERS Any event or force of nature that has cyclone, hurricane, tornado, tsunami, volcanic catastrophic consequences and causes eruption, or other similar natural events that give damage or the potential to cause a crisis to a rise to a crisis if noted and agreed by CAP customer. This includes an avalanche, FocusPoint. landslide, earth quake, flood, forest or bush fire, NUMBER OF INCIDENTS 32 3 3 118 20 9 Asia Pacific 118 Sub-Saharan Africa 20 Middle East and North Africa 3 Europe 32 Domestic United States and Canada 3 Latin America 9 MOST "SIGNIFICANT" EVENTS • Indonesia: Tropical Cyclone Seroja • Canada: Deaths in connection with • DRC: Mt. Nyiragongo eruption an ongoing heatwave • Algeria: Flash Floods • Panama: Floods/Landslides • Russia: Crimea and Krasnodar Krai flooding 03 TERRORISM / CONFLICT Terrorism means an act, including but not government(s), committed for political, limited to the use of force or violence and/or the religious, ideological or similar purposes threat thereof, of any person or group(s) of including the intention to influence any persons, whether acting alone or on behalf of or government and/or to put the public, or any in connection with any organization(s) or section of the public, in fear. NUMBER OF INCIDENTS 20 1 270 209 144 15 Asia Pacific 209 Sub-Saharan Africa 144 Middle East and North Africa 270 Europe 20 Domestic United States and Canada 1 Latin America 15 MOST "SIGNIFICANT" EVENTS • Taliban Attack on Ghazni • Tigray Market Airstrike • Solhan Massacre • Landmine Explosion 04 POLITICAL THREAT / CIVIL UNREST The threat of action designed to influence the purposes of this travel assistance plan, a government or an international governmental political threat is extended to mean civil threats organization or to intimidate the public, or a caused by riots, strikes, or civil commotion. section of the public; to advance a political, religious, racial, or ideological cause. For the NUMBER OF INCIDENTS 153 40 52 180 36 67 Asia Pacific 180 Sub-Saharan Africa 36 Middle East and North Africa 52 Europe 153 Domestic United States and Canada 40 Latin America 67 MOST "SIGNIFICANT" EVENTS • Myanmar: Coup d'état • UK: Dissident violence and sporadic unrest. • Kingdom of eSwatini: Anti-monarchy protests • USA: Anti-police unrest • Israel: Inter-communal unrest • Colombia: Anti-government protests CIVIL UNREST 06 NUMBER OF TYPE OF INCIDENTS Political Threat Political Violence Protest 460 67 1 NUMBER OF INCIDENTS BY REGION 153 40 52 180 36 67 Asia Pacific 180 Sub-Saharan Africa 36 Middle East and North Africa 52 Europe 153 Domestic United States and Canada 40 Latin America 67 07 This has resulted in renewed open conflict MYANMAR - COUP D'ETAT between these groups and the Myanmar military. The military government has also Following the coup d'état in February this year, stepped up its media campaign to silence the pro-democracy protests have continued across press from reporting through suspensions of the country in opposition to military rule. radio and tv stations. Media outlets have been Protesters have gone out in large numbers every shut down, and journalists have been harassed day, often facing significant military and police and arrested. The media have also begun forces' resistance. The protests have frequently arresting celebrities, models, and influencers turned extremely violent, with military and for spreading 'news to affect state stability. police forces cracking down, often fatally, on the protestors. International condemnation of the coup remains, with the UN drafted a resolution To date, over 800 protestors have been killed, condemning the coup and calling for an arms and nearly 5000 have been arrested. Increasing embargo and the release of political prisoners, violence by security forces has led to groups of including Aung San Suu Kyi, however the draft protestors seeking training and assistance from has been indefinitely postponed. insurgent groups in Myanmar's border regions. ASIA PACIFIC. NUMBER OF INCIDENTS BY COUNTRY Afghanistan 3 Myanmar 84 Australia 3 New Zealand 6 Bangladesh 6 Pakistan 18 Cambodia 1 Philippines 3 India 14 Sri Lanka 2 Indonesia 4 South Korea 1 Japan 6 Thailand 25 Kazakhstan 4 08 Soldiers have also been seen going KINGDOM OF ESWATINI - door-to-door and violently arresting people of interest. Authorities have cut water supplies and ANTI-MONARCHY PROTESTS internet access nationwide, and shortages of food and fuel have been reported due to the Frequent anti-police violence and unrest. Flights out of King Mswati III pro-democratic protests had been ongoing for International Airport (SHO/FDSK) were weeks following the suspicious death of a law suspended until further notice. Eswatini Airlink student, Thabano Nkomonye, in May. These also suspended flights to and from protests escalated on 28 June, when hundreds Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport of people rallied across Mbabane, Matsapha, (JNB/FAOR). Manzini, and other cities in defiance of a ban on demonstrations. Protests quickly turned violent King Mswati III has been in power for the last 35 as demonstrators set fire to dozens of buildings years after inheriting the throne when he was 18 and looted businesses. On 29 June, military years of age in 1986. The King selects the forces were deployed to quell the unrest, and government, and political parties have been the government imposed an 18:00-05:00 local banned since 1973. The current protest time nightly curfew and ordered businesses to movement is calling for sweeping democratic close by 15:30. reforms in the face of the current corrupted monarchy and associated government. Martial law has been declared nationwide since Unconfirmed reports suggested that King 30 June. Security forces have cracked down Mswati has fled the country; however, the hard on protesters using live rounds, tear gas, government denies this. and rubber bullets, resulting in at least 40 deaths and dozens of more injuries as of 1 July. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. NUMBER OF INCIDENTS BY COUNTRY Benin 1 Kingdom of Eswatini 3 Cameroon 1 Liberia 1 Cote d'Ivoire 1 Malawi 1 DRC 8 Nigeria 8 Ghana 1 Senegal 2 Guinea 3 South Africa 5 09 hotels, were burned in Lod, Ramle, Haifa, ISRAEL - INTER-COMMUNAL UNREST Nazareth, Umm Al-Fahm, Baqa Al-Gharbiyye, Qalansawe, Jaffa, Acre, Tayibe, Tamra, Sakhnin, Demonstrations over access to the Temple Wadi Ara, Kafr Qara, Kafr Qasim, Shaqib Mount in Jerusalem's Old City and to protest the Al-Salam, Kafr Manda, Daburiyya, Jisr az-Zarqa, eviction of Palestinian families in East and Eilat. Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood since mid-April have escalated into running street Police were forced to evacuate Jewish families battles between the Arab and Jewish from some areas while preventing anti-Arab communities in the city. Protesters gather mobs from entering others; public transport regularly in parts of the Old City close to the was suspended in the worst-affected areas. On Temple Mount and have repeatedly clashed 11 May, far-right Jewish protesters attacked violently with police, who have used tear gas, businesses and mosques in Lod, Tiberias, Haifa, stun grenades, and baton charges to disperse Acre, Jaffa, Bat Yam, and other towns in crowds. retaliation. A general strike by the Palestinian community was held on 18 May, with large The protests peaked at the start of May as the demonstrations in Umm al-Fahm, East Muslim holy month of Ramadan came to a Jerusalem, Jaffa, Haifa, Tira, Shefa-Amr, Tamra, close. Israeli authorities imposed additional Nazareth, and Deir Hanna. restrictions on access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque ahead of Eid al-Fitr celebrations and a planned As inter-communal clashes continue between far-right march by Zionist organizations to the Jewish and Palestinian communities, there Damascus Gate, a major flashpoint for protests. is a high risk of incidental injury or mistaken Damage to the mosque and the tear-gassing of identity during attacks or protests. Avoid all worshippers by Israeli security forces triggered protests and Areas with concentrations of riots in Arab-majority cities nationwide from 10 security forces, and protest action should be May. At least one person was killed and dozens avoided as these situations can be highly more injured in the riots as numerous volatile. structures, including municipal buildings, synagogues, Jewish-owned restaurants, and MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA. NUMBER OF INCIDENTS BY COUNTRY Algeria 3 Chad 5 Ethiopia 3 Iraq 11 Israel 4 Jordan 2 Lebanon 9 Mali 1 Oman 1 Somalia 3 South Sudan 1 Sudan 4 Syria 3 Tunisia 2 10 arrangements. Representatives of these groups UNITED KINGDOM - DISSIDENT have withdrawn support for the Good Friday Agreement over the existence of what is VIOLENCE AND SPORADIC UNREST. functionally a border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Tensions have also flared Beginning on the evening of 29 March, youth due to the perceived double standard of the gangs engaged in violence in a loyalist area of PSNI with regards to failure to prosecute Sinn Londonderry. Over the next week, violent riots Fein politicians over breach of COVID-19 took place in Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus, regulations to attend the funeral of former IRA Portadown, Ballymena, Markethill, and Belfast. head of intelligence Bobby Storey, which drew a Members of the Police Service of Northern crowd of over 2000 people. Unionist parties Ireland (PSNI) came under attack from rioters, called for the PSNI Chief Constable to resign, sometimes as young as 12, using iron bars, but he refused to do so. bricks, masonry, and petrol bombs. To date, 88 PSNI officers have been injured. These riots have raised concerns over escalating sectarian tensions in Northern The cause of the riots is a complex mix of Ireland, which could potentially see a return to factors.