SITREP, December 2024

The Month in Review

America

USA: Wildfires, especially in California, Oregon, and Washington, occur frequently from June to December and can be difficult to control. Other states, particularly in the South and Southwest, also face heightened wildfire risks. For updates on disruptions, use the FEMA app, which provides alerts and details on nearby shelters.

Colombia: Certain regions in Colombia are considered higher risk due to crime and safety concerns. Travelers should avoid the borders with Venezuela, rural areas of the Chocó Department, parts of Medellín such as San Javier, and the remote regions along the Pacific Coast, which may lack adequate services and pose additional risks.

Brazil: From January to March 2024, 152 people were killed during police interventions in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This highlights ongoing concerns about the high lethality of security operations by the police in the region. However, based on projections, this year could be the year with the lowest rate since 2015.

Africa

Lake Chad: Resource scarcity and climate change are exacerbating instability in the Sahel region, particularly around Lake Chad, where rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall threaten subsistence-based livelihoods. This environmental vulnerability creates opportunities for violent extremist groups like Boko Haram to exploit hardships, recruit members, and thrive in the absence of strong governance, further deepening the cycle of insecurity.

DRC: The disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which was previously unknown, was officially identified as malaria, according to a Telegraph report citing the country’s health ministry statement on the 17th of December. Local authorities said earlier in the month that the disease killed 143 people in the southwestern Kwango province in November.

Mozambique: Since the October 9, 2024, general election, political tensions and incidents of violence have created a volatile and unpredictable situation across the country. Civil unrest, including demonstrations and road closures, is likely to continue, potentially disrupting travel, basic services, and safety.

Asia & Oceania

India: There is an outbreak of Zika in the state of Maharashtra, India. Zika virus can be spread through mosquito bites, passed from a pregnant person to their fetus, and spread from person to person through sex.

Philippines: “An explosive eruption has occurred at Kanlaon volcano,” reported the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on the 9th of December. A total of 15 villages are to be evacuated.

Japan: Masks have been a part of daily life in Japan for a long time. Even after mask mandates eased in March 2023, many people still wear them voluntarily. Therefore travelers are encouraged to wear masks in indoor public spaces to align with local customs.

Europe

France: France has declared itself to be free of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the absence of new outbreaks for more than a month, though the country remains on high alert for the virus that has been spreading rapidly in Europe, the agriculture ministry said. France had recorded 12 farm outbreaks of the disease, commonly called bird flu, since early August, as well as three cases among backyard poultry, the ministry said in a statement on the 18th of December.

Sweden: After more than a decade of rising deadly gang violence, Swedish police say the country’s violent crime statistics are finally improving and attribute this to new powers, including increased electronic eavesdropping and more surveillance cameras. Police said they had prevented more than 100 serious crimes this year, resulting in a marked decrease in shootings and shooting deaths.

Germany: Germany has reintroduced checks at all its land borders with its nine neighbors for the first time since becoming a Schengen member. Controls were already in place along its southern border with Austria. These have been there since 2015 to deter migrants arriving via the Balkan route.

Sources: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/service/laender/usa-node/usavereinigtestaatensicherheit-201382 / https://travellikeaboss.org/is-it-safe-for-americans-to-travel-to-columbia/ / https://www.statista.com/statistics/1007090/number-deaths-police-intervention-rio-brazil/ / https://georgetownsecuritystudiesreview.org/2024/10/17/violent-extremism-in-the-shadows-of-climate-change-the-case-of-lake-chad-and-boko-haram/ / https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/mystery-disease-outbreak-in-democratic-republic-of-congo-identified-as-malaria/ar-AA1w8cgw / https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/mozambique / https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level2/zika-maharashtra-india / https://www.krone.at/3620186 / https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10953900/ / https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/france-says-bird-flu-free-after-month-without-outbreaks/ar-AA1w8M7e / https://www.msn.com/en-gb/public-safety-and-emergencies/health-and-safety-alerts/police-in-sweden-make-headway-against-gang-shootings/ar-AA1waGLk / https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/europes-schengen-area-sees-more-internal-border-controls/ar-AA1vSYaA

Know Your Emergency and Fire Exits in Hotels

When staying at a hotel, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the emergency evacuation routes, typically posted on the back of your room door. Save emergency contact numbers to your phone, including local fire and emergency services. It’s also a good idea to walk through the evacuation routes to ensure they are clear and accessible, as fire doors may sometimes be blocked or locked, posing a risk during an emergency. Knowing these details in advance can help ensure your safety in case of a fire or other emergency.

More travel safety tips from us in German: https://staatenlos.ch/geld-ins-ausland-schaffen/10-reise-sicherheitstipps-fur-digitale-nomaden-welche-du-noch-nicht-kennst/

Community Q and A

When traveling abroad, it’s wise to have multiple payment options.

USD is widely accepted, but be aware that they might charge you more than in the local currency. Only carry as much cash as you need for the day.

A credit card is the most convenient and widely accepted method. Always have a backup, like a second credit card or some spare cash, so that you are not stranded when you lose your wallet and know how to block your credit card.

For added security and convenience, Apple Pay offers a contactless payment option that doesn’t share your full bank details with vendors, providing an extra layer of protection.

Have a question? Reply to this email, and we might feature it in next month's Q&A!

From the Team

On The Safety Huddle, Nathan Ackermann of Riley talked through the path to proactive risk management: what an organization can see coming, and what it only ever finds out afterwards.

The following episode was the podcast's first in German. Allyn Goodrich, a Las Vegas SWAT officer, on mental health in policing, under the title Mentale Gesundheit: Die stille Krise bei der Polizei.