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April 11, 2022
11-April-2022

AMERICAS

Mexico (Security threat level – 4): On the evening of 10 April 2022, protesters set fire to the alternative entrance doors of the Nuevo Leon State Governmental Palace in the state capital Monterrey. The demonstrators, who had gathered to protest government inaction in regard to locating missing persons, initiated the blaze after police officers thwarted their attempts to access the building. No protesters or security personnel were injured during the protest. Demonstrators protesting high rates of femicide also targeted the governmental palace on 8 March, setting fire to its main entrance.

ASIA

Indonesia (Security threat level – 4): At approximately 1930 local time (1230 UTC) on 11 April 2022, police officers deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse several hundred demonstrators who had rallied outside the parliament building in the capital Jakarta. The protesters – mostly university students – rallied to protest high cooking oil prices and a rumored extension of President Joko Widodo’s presidential term. At least seven people were injured – including one university lecturer and six police officers. Similar protests also occurred in South Sulawesi and West Java provinces.

Pakistan (Security threat level – 5): On 10 April 2022, Prime Minister Imran Khan was voted out of office by the National Assembly in a no-confidence vote of 174-0 after the Supreme Court invalidated an earlier attempt to dismiss parliament by the deputy speaker in an attempt to postpone the vote. In related developments, on 10 April, tens of thousands of Khan supporters gathered nationwide — including in the capital city Islamabad, plus Lahore, Mianwali, Multan, Sheikhupura and Taxila — to express support for the former prime minister. In Islamabad, tens of thousands of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and Khan supporters gathered near the city center. There were no reports of large-scale violence or arrests. In the eastern city of Lahore, thousands of residents gathered near Lalik Jan Chowk and Liberty Market and shouted slogans denouncing the U.S. government. Additionally, in the southern city of Karachi, a large protest was held near Rashid Minhas road and the at the Millennium Mall.

The Pakistani Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has placed all immigration staff at all airports on high alert to prevent government officials from leaving the country. The FIA declaration was issued shortly after the no-confidence vote that removed Prime Minister Khan from power. Until further notice, only government officials holding a No-Objection Certificate will be allowed to leave the country.

Philippines (Security threat level – 4): On 10 April 2022, Philippine authorities reported that a total of 3,347 people have been evacuated from Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon provinces in the central Philippines due to heavy rains and the subsequent landslides and flooding caused by Tropical Storm Agaton. The storm made landfall at approximately 0730 local time (2330 UTC) in the Eastern Samar region with sustained winds of up to 65 km (40 mi) and gusts of up to 80 kph (50 mph). The majority of evacuated persons are residents of the Region 10 and Timbal areas of the two provinces. According to local authorities, at least 25 people were killed as a result of flooding and landslides, including 22 people in the eastern province of Leyte and three in the southern Davao region.

Sri Lanka (Security threat level – 4): On 11 April 2022, hundreds of people gathered for a third consecutive day at Galle Face Green urban park in central Colombo amid calls for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign from office due to his administration’s mismanagement of the economy amid an ongoing nationwide economic crisis. On the previous day, thousands of demonstrators — mostly students, teachers and other professionals – gathered at Galle Face Green and marched to the Presidential Secretariat where they displayed signs and obstructed traffic near the city center. There were no reports of violence and the majority of demonstrators dispersed peacefully.

In related news, on 9 April 2022, police officers fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse hundreds of student protesters outside the Parliament building in the capital Colombo. The protesters disrupted traffic as their demonstration moved from the Kelaniya suburb to the gates of the Parliament complex. The protesters then attempted to remove police barricades erected around the complex, to which police officers responded by deploying tear gas and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators. No injuries or arrests were reported.

EUROPE

Ukraine (Security threat level – 5): On 10 April 2022, Ukrainian government officials reported that a Russian rocket attack launched against the city of Dnipro – an industrial city with more than a million residents located approximately 400 km (250 mi) southeast of Kyiv — destroyed Dnipro International Airport (UKDD/DNK). Local officials also reported that five emergency response services personnel were injured in the attack, which also caused structural damage to buildings near the airport. Although Russian forces have targeted Dnipro since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, until now the city had been spared any major destruction.

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Palestinian Territories (Security threat level – 5): On 10 April 2022, Israeli security forces conducted a second consecutive day of raids in several West Bank cities, including Jenin, Jericho and Tulkarem. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least two Palestinian women were killed, and 11 other Palestinians suffered injuries from live gunfire, shrapnel and tear gas inhalation. Israeli security personnel arrested at least 21 Palestinians. Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank and Israel have risen amid several terrorist attacks carried out in Israel in the run-up to and during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan this year, which runs from 2 April-2 May.

On 9 April 2022, Israeli security forces and Palestinians clashed at a refugee camp in the city of Jenin, located in the West Bank. Israeli security personnel killed a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and injured 13 more Palestinians during an Israeli counterterrorism operation. Israeli authorities suspect the Palestinian was responsible for a deadly shooting in Tel Aviv on 7 April, which resulted in the deaths of three people.

GOVERNMENT WARNINGS

China (Security threat level – 3): On 11 April 2022, the U.S. Mission in China issued a Health Alert regarding the citywide lockdown in Shanghai, which reads in part as follows: “On April 8, the U.S. Department of State authorized the voluntary departure of non-emergency U.S. Government employees and their family members at U.S. Consulate General Shanghai, effective immediately. The Department of State made this decision due to the surge in COVID-19 cases and impact of restrictions related to the implementation of public health response measures. While the Consulate General remains closed to the public due to local COVID-19 control measures, it will remain staffed and continue to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in need. This authorization does not impact U.S. Embassy Beijing or the other Consulates General in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), or the services provided to U.S. citizens.

“The United States has no higher priority than the safety, health, and well-being of U.S. citizens overseas. The U.S. Mission to China is closely following the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak with great concern, particularly in the areas of Shanghai and Jilin. PRC authorities continue to expand COVID-19 prevention and control measures as outbreaks occur. These measures may include residential quarantines, mass testing, closures, transportation disruptions, lockdowns, and possible family separation. These measures are dynamic, implemented with little warning, and can change very quickly.

“For U.S. citizens in Shanghai who wish to depart, commercial flights remain available but are limited.? As lockdowns are extended, we are monitoring this issue closely and we are engaged on the issue of airport access for travelers with confirmed air tickets.”