ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - March 8, 2024

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - March 8, 2024

ZeroFox physical security experts collect, curate, and analyze information derived from open and proprietary sources for comprehensive context of the circumstances surrounding global events. Here is today’s daily roundup of major developments.

Brief Highlights

• Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Agree to Form Joint Anti-Jihadist Security Force
• Sunk Cargo Ship’s Anchor May Have Severed Data Cables in Red Sea
• India Commissions New Naval Base on Lakshadweep Archipelago

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Agree to Form Joint Anti-Jihadist Security Force

The three members of the Alliance of Sahel States agreed to form a joint military force to combat jihadist violence in their countries. The three states are led by military dictatorships, which came to power in large part because the prior civilian governments were struggling to secure their territories against terrorist attacks. Now the three allies will pool their forces to attempt to gain an upper hand in the struggle. However, with none of the states having been heretofore particularly successful in achieving their own security, it is not clear that combining efforts will create better results for the collective.

Sunk Cargo Ship’s Anchor May Have Severed Data Cables in Red Sea

Sources have reported that the anchor of the MV Rubymar, a cargo ship sunk by a Houthi strike, may have been responsible for severing submerged Red Sea data cables. The Rubymar’s crew abandoned ship when the ship began taking on water following the strike on February 18. The Rubymar spent nearly two weeks anchored in place before sinking on March 2. Sources first began reporting damage to the undersea cables in late February, but it was assumed Houthi agents were responsible after the group previously suggested it may target them. The damage resulted in the loss of roughly 25 percent of the data transmitted through the Red Sea’s undersea cable network, though most of that data has since been rerouted through surviving cables.

India Commissions New Naval Base on Lakshadweep Archipelago

India’s navy has commissioned a new naval base on Minicoy Island, part of the Lakshadweep archipelago in the Arabian Sea off the country’s southwestern coast. The base is expected to enhance India’s operational reach and assist efforts combating piracy and narcotics smuggling. Authorities claim its position along a major sea trade route will help secure maritime shipping. India likely seeks to assert its presence on its southern coast to deter Chinese activity in the region, after neighboring Maldives signed a defense deal with China weeks after ordering out the Indian soldiers stationed there.