While a recent call to remobilise has raised concerns of renewed FARC attacks in Colombia, a return to widescale kidnap for ransom as a source of funding is uncertain. Factionalism within FARC creates ambiguity about the group’s leadership and, as a result, its overall objectives and preferred tactics, writes Lenoy Barkai.
In May 2018, South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known locally as the ‘Hawks’, claimed that at least 20 businesspeople had been kidnapped over the preceding 18 months. At the time, the statistic seemed overwhelming. Up until that point, traditional kidnap for ransom cases were uncommon. Most abduction cases involved children…
From getting caught in natural disasters, being assaulted during public appearances to being robbed of equipment while filming, film and media operators face a variety of security threats. Here, we present some illustrative examples of recent incidents from around the world, and offer practical advice on minimising security risks for the film and media…
Some recent high-profile cases have drawn attention to the kidnapping threat Chinese students face, as they increasingly seek educational opportunities abroad. Rob Attwell reviews a number of recent incidents and trends.
The mutually-beneficial relationship between terrorist organisations and the criminal underworld is well documented. For several decades, these outlawed groups have crossed paths across the globe. Now, with the fall of the Islamic State – once the richest terrorist organisation in the world – S-RM’s analysis team delve into the latest dynamics of the…
Since the first examples of CBRN agents being used in warfare, developments in treatment and prevention have been struggling to keep up. Options to mitigate the harmful effects of CBRN agents on the civilian population have been relatively limited until recent years.
Agroterrorism is a hostile attack against agricultural production or food supply with the goal of causing mortality, generating fear, disrupting the economy or undermining sector stability. The use of a CBRN agent to conduct such an attack has potentially devastating and lasting effects.
Recent xenophobic violence in South Africa has resulted in security implications for South African businesses locally and elsewhere on the continent. Gabrielle Reid explores the commercial impact to businesses in South Africa and beyond.
After former FARC commanders denounced Colombia’s historic peace deal and called for the return to armed struggle, militant activity in the country faces a possible resurgence. Lenoy Barkai assesses the drivers and security implications of this latest challenge to Colombia’s peace-building efforts
An attack on the world’s biggest crude processing facility in Saudi Arabia has fueled growing tensions in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia and the US pointing to Iran as the culprit. Bilal Bassiouni assesses the possible trajectories of this latest escalation
Amid countrywide power blackouts and subsidy cuts, Argentinians have mobilised against the government’s austerity measures, shutting down commercial operations and public services through mass-demonstrations. Erin Drake explores the growing anti-austerity movement and its potential to devolve into widespread civil unrest.
Attacks against and seizures of merchant vessels in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman amid increased tensions between Iran and the US could result in a major military escalation, with serious implications for regional security and the global economy, writes Saif Islam..