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March 30, 2022
30-March-2022

AMERICAS

Colombia (Security threat level – 4) : At approximately 0420 local time (0920 UTC) on 30 March 2022, José María Córdova International Airport (SKRG/MDE) in the city of Rionegro, located approximately 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Medellín, resumed flight operations after a break of more than 12 hours. Operations at the facility had been suspended following the emergency landing of LATAM Colombia flight LA4292 shortly after 1510 local time on 29 March due to a landing gear issue. A total of 68 flights were canceled and 60 others were delayed while airport personnel towed the aircraft away from the runway. There were no reports of casualties in the emergency landing.

El Salvador (Security threat level – 4): On 29 March 2022, security personnel in El Salvador further escalated the ongoing crackdown on gang members in the country. According to the attorney general, security forces arrested over 1,400 suspected gang members during the previous two days. The majority of raids took place in the capital San Salvador. The security operations followed the declaration of a 30-day nationwide state of emergency on 27 March that allows police officers to make arrests without a warrant. President Nayib Bukele also ordered stringent measures to be implemented in prisons, such as decreasing the number of meals provided to inmates and confiscating beds.

Analyst Comment: President Bukele has previously imposed strict measures on Salvadoran prison inmates — including many suspected gang members — as a tactic to pressure gangs to decrease violence in El Salvador.

Haiti (Security threat level – 5): On 29 March 2022, protesters in the southeastern coastal town of Les Cayes stole and destroyed a twin-engine aircraft parked at Antoine-Simon Airport (MTCA/CYA) amid nationwide demonstrations to protest Haiti’s deteriorating security environment. The violent demonstrations occurred on the anniversary of the adoption of the 1987 Haitian Constitution. The demonstrators vandalized the Piper Navajo Chieftain aircraft and then set it on fire on a street near the airport. The aircraft belongs to U.S.-based Agape Flights, a Christian aviation ministry that delivers medicine and other supplies to several Caribbean islands. Missionaries affiliated with the group claim that the demonstrators believed a politician owned the aircraft. In response, Haiti’s main domestic carrier, Sunrise Airways, announced that it will suspend all flights to and from Les Cayes as government officials conduct security checks at the airport. Protesters burned a second aircraft in the southern port town of Jacmel that had been abandoned in November 2021. Haitian police officials report that at least one person was killed during the protests and five others were injured, including four police officers.

EUROPE

Belgium / Netherlands / Russia (Security threat levels – 3 / 2 / 4): On 29 March 2022, the Belgian government expelled 21 Russian diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Brussels and the Russian Consulate in Antwerp for allegedly spying and engaging in influence operations. According to Belgium’s foreign affairs minister, the government coordinated the decision with the Dutch government, which also expelled 17 Russian diplomats whom Dutch security officials described as intelligence officers.

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Israel (Security threat level – 4): At approximately 1920 local time (1620 UTC) on 29 March 2022, an individual armed with an assault rifle and riding on a motorcycle opened fire on at least two locations in the eastern Tel Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak and one location in the adjacent suburb of Ramat Gan. The gunman killed at least five people, including one police officer, and injured one more. Police officers killed the assailant who has been identified as a 26-year-old resident of the West Bank town of Ya’abad. While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest assault, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for two attacks in Israel in the last week: a stabbing attack in Beersheba and a shooting in Hadera. The recent series of attacks has prompted the Israeli police force to raise its alert to the highest level, and the Israeli Defense Forces has deployed reinforcements in the West Bank.

GOVERNMENT WARNINGS

Democratic Republic Of The Congo (Security threat level – 4): On 30 March 2022, the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa issued a Demonstration Alert, which reads in part as follows: “The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa has received reports of demonstration activity in Lubumbashi, Haut Katanga Province. The main road to the airport is blocked. U.S. government personnel in Lubumbashi have been asked to shelter in place until further notice. Travel to Lubumbashi by U.S. government personnel is suspended until further notice.”

Kenya (Security threat level – 4): On 29 March 2022, the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) issued updated travel advice for Kenya to include the following: “On 29 March, the National Police Service of Kenya issued a statement about enhancing security through April 2022. The full statement can be found here.

“The religious month of Ramadan is expected to start on either 2 or 3 April, and will last 29 – 30 days. Sunday 17 April is the Christian Easter Festival. There is a heightened risk of terrorism during religious holidays.”