AMERICAS

Canada (Security threat level – 2): Shortly before 1530 local time (2230 UTC) on 24 May 2022, officials halted flight operations at Victoria International Airport (CYYJ/YYJ) — located in the western province of British Columbia — following the discovery of a suspicious item in a bag that was scanned in the departures area of the facility. Security personnel investigated the bag and found an “incendiary item and inert surplus military supplies.” Approximately 20 commercial flights scheduled to operate through the airport were canceled due to the incident. The airport resumed operations at approximately 2000 local time.

ASIA

Pakistan (Security threat level – 5): On 25 May 2022, police officials in the capital Islamabad have set up blockades on roads leading to the city ahead of a planned “freedom march” led by recently ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan to demand early elections. Thousands of supporters of Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party gathered in the northwestern city of Peshawar and are en route to Islamabad. Demonstrators originating from other cities, such as Lahore and Multan, are also anticipated to march to the capital. A heavy security presence remains throughout Islamabad and along highways leading toward the capital. Earlier in the day, police officers in Lahore deployed tear gas to disperse demonstrators attempting to remove barricades on a bridge in order to board Islamabad-bound buses. Several police officers and about a dozen protesters were injured in the violence. Further violence is highly likely, as Khan has vowed to march with his supporters to the Democracy Chowk — a city square — in central Islamabad despite the government’s ban on the protest march. Khan was removed from office in a no-confidence vote in Parliament the previous month and has since claimed that his ouster was the result of a U.S.-organized plot.

Philippines (Security threat level – 4): On 25 May 2022, demonstrators clashed with police officers during a protest held outside the Commission on Human Rights building in Quezon City. Police officers equipped with riot gear clashed with the demonstrators and deployed a water cannon in an attempt to disperse the crowd. At least 10 people reportedly sustained injuries as a result of the clashes. The gathering was organized ahead of the official declaration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, as the country’s president-elect.

EUROPE

Hungary (Security threat level – 2): On 24 May 2022, Prime Minister Viktor Orban imposed a new state of emergency in Hungary, citing the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent effects on the Hungarian economy. The state of emergency, which took effect at 0000 local time on 25 May (2200 UTC on 24 May), allows the government to enact laws by decree without parliamentary approval.

GOVERNMENT WARNINGS

Democratic Republic Of The Congo (Security threat level – 4): On 24 May 2022, the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa issued a Security Alert regarding armed skirmishes near Goma, which reads in part as follows:

“Location: Goma, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

“Event: In addition to our current Travel Alert which advises U.S. citizens to not travel to the Eastern DRC region and North Kivu province. The U.S. Embassy Kinshasa cautions there are public reports of armed skirmishes that have reached to within a 12-mile vicinity of Goma. U.S. citizens are advised to exercise extreme caution and defer travel in and through Goma.”

Haiti (Security threat level – 5): On 24 May 2022, the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince issued a Security Alert regarding travel restrictions, which reads in part as follows: “Due to significant security-related events involving carjackings and kidnappings over the past two days, effective May 24, the U.S. Embassy will restrict non-official travel of its direct-hire U.S. citizen staff in Port-au-Prince to the immediate Embassy area. The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince regularly reviews its security posture and will notify the U.S. citizen community of changes to this travel restriction.”