Jane's Intelligence Review - Country Risk Watch

Country Risk Watch

*Indonesia confirms death of top JI militant
On 10 March, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyyono confirmed that Dulmatin, a key Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) member and one of Southeast Asia's most wanted ...
12-Mar-2010

Seizures of heroin in Xinjiang halve in 2009
On 20 February, Fu Qiang, director of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region's narcotics control committee, claimed that 59.06 kg of heroin had been seized in ...
12-Mar-2010

Counting begins after unexpectedly high turnout at Iraq polls
Counting began in Iraq on 8 March following the country's second legislative election after Saddam Hussein and the Baath party were ousted from power ...
12-Mar-2010

*Dutch troops to move out of Afghanistan
Dutch troops look likely to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by August after the government collapsed over the issue on 21 February. The Labour Party ...
12-Mar-2010

*Niger military ousts Tandja in 'patriotic' coup
Niger's military staged what it termed a "patriotic" coup on 18 February, ousting President Mamadou Tandja, suspending the constitution and dissolving all state institutions. ...
12-Mar-2010

Tymoshenko ousted as Ukrainian PM
The Ukrainian parliament passed a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on 3 March, forcing her resignation and that of her ...
12-Mar-2010

Guatemalan anti-drug officials arrested
On 2 March, Guatemalan police director Baltázar Gómez, anti-drug co-ordinator Nelly Bonilla and another police officer were arrested after an investigation involving the UN's ...
12-Mar-2010

Niger Delta MEND militants make threats of fresh attacks
Remnant militants from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) who remained outside a 2009 government amnesty called off their indefinite ...
12-Feb-2010

Embattled government indefinitely delays Haiti elections
On 27 January, Haitian President René Préval announced the indefinite postponement of legislative elections due on 28 February, as a result of the devastation ...
12-Feb-2010

*Reports claim drone strike killed TTP leader
On 9 February, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported the Taliban in Orakzai tribal agency had confirmed the death of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Hakimullah Mehsud. ...
12-Feb-2010

ETA shifting to Portugal, claims Spain
Separatist group Basque Homeland and Freedom (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna: ETA) is seeking to transfer its logistics set-up to Portugal, according to comments by Spanish ...
12-Feb-2010

US bolsters its Persian Gulf defences
The US is to deploy defensive missile systems to its allies in the Persian Gulf to guard against rising tension with Iran, according to ...
12-Feb-2010

*Bulgarian police make murder case arrests
Bulgarian prosecutors on 7 January charged a suspected organised crime boss in connection with the murder two days earlier of a radio host and writer....
15-Jan-2010

*Attack highlights Angola's Cabinda conflict
Angola has captured two suspects in an 8 January attack on the Togolese football team in Cabinda, in which the team's assistant coach and media...
15-Jan-2010

*Violence in Sri Lanka highlights poll rivalry
On 12 January, unidentified gunmen killed one person after firing at a bus carrying supporters of opposition presidential candidate and former chief of defence staff...
15-Jan-2010

Key militant commander killed in Russian North Caucasus
Four suspected militants, including a key commander, were killed in a shootout with police officers in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan on 31 December...
15-Jan-2010

Mexico murders presage more violence
On 9 January, Mexico recorded its single deadliest drug-related murder toll since President Felipe Calderón launched an all-out offensive on cartels in 2006, suggesting 2010...
15-Jan-2010

Israel plans new Egyptian border fence
On 10 January, the Israeli government approved plans to build two new sections of security fence along Israel's border with Egypt to curb illegal immigration...
15-Jan-2010

*Junta leader attack raises Guinea tensions
On 5 December, Guinea's junta offered a reward for the apprehension of an aide it alleges is behind the 3 December attack on military ...
10-Dec-2009

Key arrest weakens Assam insurgency
On 4 December, Bangladeshi security forces handed over the chairman of the ethnic separatist United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), Arabinda Rajkhowa, to India. ...
10-Dec-2009

Deadline deal keeps Iraq election safe
Iraqi Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi agreed on 6 December not to veto the country's new election law, thereby avoiding a constitutional and electoral crisis. News ...
10-Dec-2009

*Brief Korean naval clash highlights tensions in the region
Patrol craft from the North Korean and South Korean navies engaged in a brief armed clash on 10 November, highlighting the tense situation in ...
13-Nov-2009

Italian authorities capture leading Camorra mafia fugitives
One of Italy's 30 most dangerous fugitives was arrested near Naples on 1 November along with his brother, a day after another brother was ...
13-Nov-2009

Indonesian officials resign over growing corruption scandal
On 5 November, two senior law enforcement figures resigned over a corruption scandal that threatens to weaken President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's credibility. The two ...
13-Nov-2009

*Chávez calls on military to prepare for war
On 8 November, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez called on the military, civilian militias and workers to prepare themselves for war, signalling that ongoing tensions ...
13-Nov-2009

*Ship's capture increases fear of Hizbullah
Israeli special forces' seizure of the Francop vessel and its cargo of weapons on 4 November has confirmed the potential for a renewed outbreak ...
13-Nov-2009

Malagasy leaders sign new power deal
Madagascar's rival political leaders agreed a new deal on 7 November that will see Andry Rajoelina remain as transitional president, but with two co-presidents ...
13-Nov-2009

Azerbaijan jails militants for terrorism
An Azerbaijani court sentenced 26 people to jail on 5 November for involvement in terrorist attacks in Baku during 2008, illustrating the threat of ...
13-Nov-2009

*Bosnia-Herzegovina risks social protest over war pensions
The World Bank urged political leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina on 5 October to push through difficult economic and social measures to which it had committed ...
16-Oct-2009

*Argentina protests at UK Falklands upgrade
On 22 September, the Argentine government criticised the deployment of four new British fighter aircraft to the Falkland Islands and expressed its regret at ...
16-Oct-2009

Iran 'does not fear' possible US restrictions on gasoline
On 8 October, Iranian Minister of Oil Massoud Mir-Kazemi said Tehran does not fear US steps to restrict its access to gasoline products on ...
15-Oct-2009

Instability in Guinea increases tensions within ruling junta
Allies of Guinea's military leader denied a split within the junta, amid high tensions following a bloody protest on 28 September, Radio France Internationale ...
15-Oct-2009

*Co-ordinated attacks hit Pakistan's Punjab
On 15 October, militants launched three near-simultaneous attacks in Lahore, targeting two police training buildings and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), killing at least ...
15-Oct-2009

US envoy gets mixed Israeli messages
US Middle East envoy George Mitchell received conflicting signals from Israeli government ministers on his latest visit to the country on 8 October. First, ...
15-Oct-2009

Summit falls short of East Asian vision
China, Japan and South Korea's second trilateral summit in Beijing on 10 October demonstrated continued regional co-operation but did not realise the vision of ...
15-Oct-2009

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