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August 2010

08

Jamaica captures Coke

Police in Kingston, Jamaica, took the alleged drug lord Christopher “Dudus” Coke into custody, without incident, on June 22 and he was extradited to the US on June 24 on charges of gunrunning and drug trafficking.

Coke eluded capture in May, when four days of riots and gun battles broke out in the Tivoli Garden region of the capital — leaving at least 73 dead — as police and soldiers tried to arrest him.

Georgia risks

The Department of State continues to urge travelers to avoid the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia. There is increased risk of crime plus the potential for violence and gunfire.

Togo perils

The US Embassy in Togo released a report in May 2010.

Armed robbery of pedestrians is the most common crime, usually in urban centers. Robberies on beaches have increased; use only private beaches that provide security personnel, and avoid all beaches at night. Theft from vehicles stopped in traffic is becoming common, particularly where there is construction congestion; keep car doors locked when inside, and leave extra room to maneuver the car. 

Crime in Nigeria

In Nigeria, the US Department of State recommends avoiding the Niger Delta states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers; the southeastern states of Abia, Edo and Imo, and the city of Jos in Plateau State, due to the risks of kidnapping, robbery and armed attacks. Crime committed by individuals and gangs, as well as by persons wearing police and military uniforms, is a problem throughout the country.

Since January 2009, over 111 foreign nationals have been kidnapped in Nigeria, including 18 in 2010. Of these, six were killed.

Guinea transition

Guinea’s interim government was successful in holding elections on June 29 without violence — considered the country’s first free vote since independence from France in 1958. The interim government had taken power after the junta run by Captain Camara fell apart in January 2010. 

Camara’s junta government was blamed for the massacre at a stadium of protesters in Conakry on Sept. 28, 2009, that killed at least 28 — rights groups claim as many as 150 — amid other atrocities (rape and beatings) against civilians by military personnel.

Congo train crash

In the Republic of Congo, a train crash on June 22 killed over 56 and injured 677. The train derailed about 60 kilometers outside Pointe-Noire on its way from there to Brazzaville. The causes determined were high speed, driver error and having too many passengers.

Floods in June

• Prolonged monsoon rains in Myanmar and Bangladesh caused floods and mudslides that killed more than 100 people in mid June. In Rakhine state in northern Myanmar, bridges and a key road were washed away. Landslides destroyed several villages in Myanmar and across the border in the Cox Bazar district of Bangladesh. 

Riots in Kyrgyzstan

A surge of violence against ethnic Uzbeks living in southern Kyrgyzstan resulted in over 190 dead and about 1,900 injured in June. 400,000 people fled their homes in the cities of Osh, Jalalabad and surrounding villages. For several days, the police and army were ineffective in stopping the riots. 

Although thousands of refugees have returned home, thousands more displaced persons are being cared for by aid agencies.

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