ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - May 5, 2024
|by Alpha Team
ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - May 5, 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
- U.S. Introduces New Sanctions on Third Countries Helping Russia Avoid Sanctions
- Uptick in Mapuche Violence in Chile
- Gangs in Haiti Threaten More Violence as PM Resigns and Transitional Council Sworn in
U.S. Introduces New Sanctions on Third Countries Helping Russia Avoid Sanctions
Source: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2318
On May 1, the U.S. Department of the Treasury introduced new sanctions designed to crack down on third countries that help Russia evade Western sanctions. The new sanctions target nearly 60 entities located in Azerbaijan, Belgium, China, Slovakia, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that enable Russia to procure dual-use technologies and other equipment from abroad. Since late 2023 the U.S. has increased pressure on third countries to halt activities that help Russia evade sanctions, with some success. Recent media reports indicate financial institutions in China and the UAE have limited their transactions with Russian companies in recent months. The U.S. pressure is unlikely to fully eliminate Russian sanctions evasion, however, supply lines through third countries will likely grow more complex and expensive.
Uptick in Mapuche Violence in Chile
On April 27, three police officers were killed in an attack by indigenous Mapuche rebels in the southern Araucania region of Chile. There was also a Mapuche incendiary attack a few days earlier in the same region. Both attacks came after a court found a Mapuche leader guilty of orchestrating similar acts of violence over a years-long period in southern Chile. Chile's Araucania and Bio Bio regions have been under a near constant state of emergency since mid-2022 over Mapuche attacks which normally target security forces and multinational corporations operating on disputed land in southern Chile. Southern Chile is home to large forestry companies who are often targeted. Truckers operating in the region are also frequent targets and there have been frequent protests by Mapuche groups as well as victims of Mapuche violence across the country in recent years. The recent flare-up in violence comes after a significant de-escalation in Mapuche attacks in 2024.
Gangs in Haiti Threaten More Violence as PM Resigns and Transitional Council Sworn in
Source: https://en.mercopress.com/2024/04/25/haiti-henry-resigns-transitional-council-sworn-in
On April 25, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry officially resigned, paving the way for a newly created transitional council to rule Haiti until February 7, 2026. The Transitional Council has nine members, seven with voting powers, and is led by interim PM Michel Patrick Boisvert. The key task of the council will be to restore order in Haiti, which has become overrun by gangs that control most of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Haitian security forces maintain control of some government buildings, which could allow an international security force to enter the country and regain control. However, as time has passed, Haiti's security situation has worsened, and it is unclear if the Kenyan-led police security force has the capabilities to wrest control back from the well-armed gangs. The gangs argue the foreign-based transitional council is illegitimate and has threatened strong resistance against any intervening force. If Haiti's security situation continues to spiral, there will likely be a mass migration crisis across the region, which could also see criminal gangs establish a base in Haiti that further destabilizes the region.
Tags: DIB, tlp:green