Other countries where Crisis Alert Levels are up

By: Matikas Santos - 10 years ago

An Israeli tank, positioned near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, fires a 155mm projectile towards targets in the Palestinian enclave on July 14, 2014. AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Over the past weeks several countries in the Middle East have been rocked by violence, prompting the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to raise Crisis Alert Levels and urge overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to return to the Philippines.

INQUIRER.net gathered information about the Crisis Alert Levels in other countries where there may be OFWs for the benefit of their families here.

Areas under Crisis Alert Level 4 (Mandatory Evacuation)

Libya: July 20, 2014 due to deteriorating government control in the country with many rival militias fighting for control of territory. The security and political situation in Libya has been unstable since the fall of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Gaza Strip: July 19, 2014 due to the intensifying conflict between militant group Hamas in Gaza and the Israel military. At least 300 people have died so far from weeks of bombings and rocket fire many of whom are innocent civilians.

Iraq: June 19, 2014 due to insurgency of armed militant group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) that has taken control of large territories in Iraq and Syria. ISIS previously declared an Islamic Caliphate over the territory it has captured and claimed religious authority over all Muslims in the world.

Syria: Dec. 22, 2011 after peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad’s administration was met with violent crackdowns that made the demonstrators respond by bearing arms. Syrian military officers defected to the side of the protesters and organized the Free Syrian Army and launching an insurgency aiming to bring the Assad government down.

Areas under Crisis Alert Level 3 (Voluntary Repatriation)

Afghanistan: July 8, 2014 due to escalating tensions in the country brought by recent presidential elections. Afghanistan has been facing a protracted war from the Taliban after they were removed from power in 2001 when the United States invaded the country looking for Osama bin Laden, allegedly the mastermind of the attack on the World Trade Center.

South Sudan: Dec. 23, 2013 because of ongoing ethnic violence following the country’s independence and secession from Sudan in July 2011. Rival tribes have been fighting each other since January 2011 resulting to more than 1,100 casualties and as much as 50,000 displaced according to the United Nations.

Areas under Crisis Alert Level 2 (Restriction Phase)

Israel and West Bank: July 22, 2014 in light of the increasingly violent conflict between militant group Hamas in Gaza and the Israel Military.

West Africa (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone): July 2, 2014 because of the Ebola Virus outbreak that has infected 759 people and killed 467, according to figures gathered by the World Health Organization as of June 30, 2014. International humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders reported that they were “overwhelmed” by the outbreak which was already the highest ever recorded number of infections.

Autonomous region of Kurdistan in Iraq: June 23, 2014 because of the growing threat from ISIS that has occupied large areas in Iraq. Majority of the Filipinos in Iraq are in Kurdistan.

Yemen: Previously under alert level 3 from December 2013 to February 2014 due to a suicide bombing and shooting at the Yemeni Ministry of Defense that claimed the lives of 52 people including seven Filipino medical workers. Terrorists organization such as Al-Qaeda are believed to be operating in Yemen sparking fears of kidnappings and bombings.