In this edition of the Global Kidnap Bulletin, we look at how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected a variety of travel security threats, we analyse the uptick of kidnappings in Haiti, highlight some of the difficulties of evacuation amid worldwide travel restrictions, look at how the nature of the insurgency in northern Mozambique might be changing, and draw out some of the key features of the ongoing piracy threat in the Gulf of Guinea.
World News in Brief
We offer an overview of the world news from January until April 2020, covering the top stories in kidnap, extortion and crime.
TRAVEL SECURITY THREATS AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND LOCKDOWNS
As citizens in much of the world have been ordered to stay at home to slow the spread of COVID-19, some travel security threats have evolved with the circumstances.
HAITI’S INDISCRIMINATE ABDUCTIONS: KIDNAPPINGS ESCALATE AMID ONGOING UNCERTAINTY
A deteriorating security environment in Haiti has seen a rise in kidnappings this year. Violent anti-government demonstrations ongoing since December 2019 have strained the country’s security forces, which has emboldened criminals – including kidnappers – to ramp up their activities.
STRANDED IN A FOREIGN LAND: CHALLENGES OF AIR EVACUATION AMID A GLOBAL PANDEMIC
The worldwide travel bans enacted to combat the spread of COVID-19 have complicated repatriation and evacuation activities. As countries imposed lockdowns and closed their borders, hundreds of thousands of people were left stranded in foreign countries.
Mozambique Insurgency: Increasing attacks in Cabo Delgado
Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province has been affected by an Islamic insurgency since October 2017, but recent events suggest we may be seeing a change in the nature of the attacks.
WHEN PIRATES ATTACK: MARITIME INSECURITY PERSISTS IN THE GULF OF GUINEA
The Gulf of Guinea remains a global hotspot for maritime attacks, including vessel boardings and kidnappings. Here we draw on the latest key facts and figures, and highlight some recent incidents that demonstrate how typical attacks unfold.