In this edition of the Global Kidnap Bulletin, we look at the challenges the Kenyan-led multinational mission faces in combatting gang violence, consider the options that incoming President Claudia Sheinbaum has to tackle organised crime in Mexico, explore the prospects for escalating violence between Israel and Lebanon, discuss the ties between Mozambican and South African kidnapping syndicates, and delve into a new Europol report on organised crime in the EU.
WORLD NEWS IN BRIEF
A roundup of key travel security developments globally. Read the article
Caribbean
Light at the end of the tunnel? Foreign forces enter Haiti’s anti-gang war
A Kenyan-led multinational mission has entered Haiti in a bid to stabilise a country suffering from significant political stability and rampant gang violence. While 200 Kenyan police have already been deployed, several unanswered questions remain, including the logistics of further troop and equipment arrivals, the international commitment to maintaining the forces, as well as the wariness of the local population over the ability of a foreign intervention to resolve the crisis. Read the article
Latin America
Rinse and repeat: Sheinbaum set to follow AMLO’s security policy
As Claudia Sheinbaum prepares to take office as president of Mexico in October, the threat of organised crime in country remains a key challenge. The conditions that sustain the prevalence of crime groups in the country are deeply embedded, and an entirely new approach to resolving the issue may not be possible. Read the article
Middle east
Prepare(d) for war: Security risks amid rising tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border
Deteriorating conditions on the Israel-Lebanon border hint at escalating violence between the two countries, including to open warfare. While a war is unlikely to be in the interests of either party at this stage, if it is triggered it would likely have severe impacts for both. The 2006 Lebanon War prompted thousands of civilian evacuations by sea, air, and land, and with the potential for a far more destructive encounter this time round, evacuations would be even more challenging. Read the article
Sub-Saharan Africa
Partners in crime: Ties between South African and Mozambican kidnapping syndicates
Kidnapping syndicates’ transnational ties between Mozambique and South Africa are becoming increasingly embedded. With police on both sides of the border hamstrung by limited resources and capabilities, and a deficit in cross-border cooperation, the threat of kidnap for ransom is likely to persist in both. Read the article
Europe
Intricate Networks: Uncovering the activities of the EU’s most threatening organised criminal groups
A new Europol report has detailed the nature of the most threatening organised crime groups in the regional bloc. While these criminal organisations are engaged in a variety of illicit dealings, it is the drug trade that poses the most direct threat to the EU’s security. Read the article
