ASIA

India (Security threat level – 3): On 2 May 2022, inter-communal violence broke out in the city of Jodhpur, located in the northeastern Rajasthan state. According to local authorities, the clash erupted in Jodhpur’s Jalori Gate area between members of the Muslim and Hindu communities over the placement of religious flags. The two groups threw stones and bottles at each other. Police officers deployed tear gas to disperse the crowds after the groups threw projectiles at the officers. A total of 16 people were injured in the violence, including four police officers. Municipal authorities have suspended internet access in Jodhpur to prevent the dissemination of false information that could escalate already heightened tensions in the area.

South Korea (Security threat level – 2): On 2 May 2022, South Korean health authorities officially ended the face mask requirement for public outdoor spaces. Although face masks are no longer required outdoors, they are still required for indoor spaces and at outdoor events with more than 50 participants. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency will also continue to promote its 1-meter social distancing recommendation.

Taiwan (Security threat level – 1): Taiwanese health authorities announced that the quarantine requirements for authorized foreign travelers and Taiwanese citizens will be reduced to seven days from the current requirement of 10 days beginning 9 May 2022. Individuals will need to show proof of a negative rapid antigen test to leave quarantine on the seventh day followed by a week of “self-health monitoring,” during which individuals are advised to avoid crowds and public spaces. Travelers are still required to present a negative PCR test taken at least 48 hours prior to arrival, as well as take an additional PCR test upon arrival in Taiwan.

EUROPE

Armenia (Security threat level – 4): On 3 May 2022, police officers arrested approximately 180 anti-government demonstrators in the capital Yerevan as protesters continue to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan amid parliamentary discussions regarding the need to sign a Russian-brokered peace deal with neighboring Azerbaijan. Protesters blocked the Yerevan-Gyumri and Yerevan-Goris highways leading to the capital and set fires in the streets near central France Square. Authorities have increased the number of police officers throughout the city center area, as demonstrations are expected to continue in the coming days.

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Iraq (Security threat level – 5): On 2 May 2022, the KAR oil refinery in the northern city of Erbil was targeted in a missile attack. According to local authorities, a total of six missiles hit the facility and caused a fire in one of the main tanks. No injuries were reported as a result of the attack. Kurdistan Regional Government counterterrorism forces tracked the origin of the attack to the town of Bartella in the Al-Hamdaniya district of Mosul and subsequently disabled all remaining missile launchpads in the area. The Iraqi government has announced its intention to identify and pursue the perpetrators of the attack; however, at this time no potential perpetrators have been identified. The attack follows a previous missile attack against an Erbil oil refinery that occurred in April.

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Ethiopia (Security threat level – 5): On 2 May 2022, security forces fired tear gas to disperse Muslims who were attending prayers for Eid al-Fitr — an Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan — at Addis Ababa International Stadium in the capital’s city center. Security forces reported that a small number of attendees at the prayers threw stones at police officers; however, there were no reports of injuries. Demonstrators had gathered at the prayer site to protest a targeted attack against Muslims that occurred in the city of Gondar on 26 April, during which multiple gunmen fired live ammunition and threw an improvised explosive device (IED) into a local Muslim leader’s funeral procession, killing 20 people and injuring 15 more.

GOVERNMENT WARNINGS

Turks & Caicos Islands (Security threat level – 1): On 3 May 2022, the U.S. Embassy in Nassau issued a Security Alert regarding an increase in violent incidents in Turks and Caicos Islands, which reads in part as follows: “The U.S. Embassy in Nassau advises U.S. citizens to exercise vigilance due to an increase in reported crime in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“The Embassy is aware of five (5) recent armed robberies. Four of the armed robberies occurred in Providenciales, specifically in a hotel parking lot, outside of a short-term rental property, at a private residence, and in the isolated area of Split Rock (Pirate’s Cove). The fifth armed robbery took place in Grand Turk, in the vicinity of a short-term rental property.

“In Providenciales, a burglary occurred at a short-term rental while the U.S. citizens were away from the property for a few hours. In other incidents, one U.S. citizen family’s rental car was stolen, while another U.S. citizen’s vehicle was burglarized.”