The extractive industry – including mining, oil and gas exploration, dredging and quarrying – is one of the most vulnerable to kidnapping and extortion. Looking ahead to 2020, these industries’ often remote operating locations with limited rule of law, and the perception of industry actors as lucrative targets, are likely to persist as key factors contributing…
Violent demonstrations and widespread anger over perceived socio-economic inequalities have driven the most disruptive period of unrest in Chile in the past 30 years. Erin Drake considers the potential for these demonstrations to descend into a sustained insurrection against the Sebastián Piñera government.
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.
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…
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
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.
In this article, we examine three cases from around the world which highlight where and under what conditions police will turn to kidnap for ransom either directly or in cooperation with organised criminal groups.
In the Northern Triangle — comprising Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala — violent extortion is endemic, affecting public and private sectors alike. Erin Drake reviews the drivers of extortion and the threat it poses to companies operating in this region.
In the context of the ongoing political and economic crisis, Timothy Geschwindt examines the consequences of a deteriorating security environment in Venezuela.
In this article, we look at three prominent case studies from different parts of the world to demonstrate the nature and extent of the security risks facing commercial operators in the oil and gas sector.
Indigenous communities affected by environmental degradation have consistently protested companies extracting Peru’s copper, gold and oil resources. Erin Drake explores the commercial impact of such demonstrations on companies operating in Peru’s extractives industry.
Security operations against Colombia’s left-wing ELN militants may have reduced their numbers, but the group continues to bomb oil pipelines and kidnap local and foreign workers. Erin Drake explores the impact of the ELN’s operations on the country’s oil sector.