WORLD CONFLICT UPDATE
BY: CASE BROWN
Across the globe, conflicts between nations, within nations, and amongst enterprising entities rage on. As new wars open new fronts, it is important to stay up to date on both new and pre-existing conflicts. Here are the major conflicts occurring as of April 2024.
Gaza
In Gaza, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) continue their assault in Gaza. Israel claims this operation is in response to the October 7th attack on Israel where Hamas fighters launched an incursion into Israel killing 117 people and kidnapping 253 others. While the attack reinvigorated conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis, this war started in the late 1940s with the creation of Israel and the disallowance of the formation of a Palestinian state.
Hamas, an extremist group in Gaza, has fought against Israel since its formation in 1987. Israel has occupied the Gaza Strip and the West Bank many times in its history, but this attack on Gaza has been particularly brutal. IDF forces have killed 33,000 people, mostly women and children, across the 25 mile strip of land. They’ve injured 75,000 more people and nearly a million are suffering from starvation. The United Nations (UN) has called for a ceasefire after many blocked attempts by the United States, but Israel is disinterested in the notion. Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel has said that they still plan to invade Rafah, the southernmost major city on the strip. They continue to block humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, including everything from food and water to medicine.
Ukraine
On February 4th, 2022, Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine in what it called a “special operation”, one that has lasted over two years. The war in Ukraine, much like in Gaza, was reinvigorated by new events. The conflict began in 2014 when Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, an area of Ukrainian territory bordering the black sea. Since the invasion in 2022, much has happened. Towards the beginning of the war, Russia made significant gains in the eastern and northern parts of Ukraine, capturing many regions and pounding Kiev with missiles. After a counterattack by Ukrainian forces, they were pushed back from Kiev and the front lines in the east were moved back towards the Russian border.
In the current state of the war, Russia controls a few territories in the south of the country as well as two eastern regions, The Luhansk and Donetsk Separatists regions, which they illegally annexed in 2022 after an undoubtedly fixed referendum. Ukraine continues to resist Russian aggression but continues to struggle to find the manpower and resources necessary to do so. The Ukrainians have said they will never surrender and so the war is far from over.
Haiti
Haiti, a Caribbean country located just west of the Dominican Republic, continues to be in disarray as violent gangs take over the country. Port-au-Prince, the capital, is said to be 80% controlled by gangs with police forces and rival gangs battling one another in a free for all for power. Over the past three years, Haitian police forces have lost around 3,300 personnel and that number continues to rise by the day. The Haitian government has asked for help from the international community with policing and resources to fix the crisis, but only Kenya has been willing to send 1000 police officers to the country. The United States has expressed its willingness to provide financial aid to Haiti and Kenya in the operation, but these plans have been put on hold as former Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned last month amid the crisis, creating a power vacuum within the government.
The U.N. has classified the situation in Haiti as a major humanitarian crisis, with the civilian population suffering from starvation, homelessness, and disease.
China & Taiwan
China continues to express its unrelenting belief that Taiwan, an independent country off the southeastern coast of mainland China, is a part of China, even though the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has never controlled the land. While no direct military confrontation has occurred, the CCP has made it clear that they will gain control of Taiwan through whatever means necessary. Chinese warships and aircraft patrol the Taiwan strait, staying barely out of Taiwanese waters. The Chinese Navy is not only harassing Taiwan, but also Philippine fishing and naval vessels. China believes that waters expanding vastly from their country belong exclusively to them, and so disputes with Japan and the Philippines continue to occur.
The United States has stated its unwavering support for Taiwan, providing the island nation with weapons and arms to defend themselves. In the event of a Chinese invasion, U.S. troops would come to the aid of the defenders according to the government. Many others could be willing to come to the aid of Taiwan, whether through logistics and resources or through direct involvement, notably Australia, Japan, Singapore, and India.
President Xi of China and his government have made it clear they would prefer a peaceful reunification over an armed incursion, but did not rule out the possibility. The possibility of an attack anytime soon is very unlikely, but tensions in the Indo-Pacific still remain high.
Myanmar
In February of 2021, an armed coup occurred in Myanmar, a country situated between Thailand and Bangladesh, overthrowing the democratically elected government. The military junta took power and enforced a year long “state of emergency”. Citizens began to protest almost immediately and have continued to do so, but the junta has repeatedly used lethal force to quell the unrest.
In October of 2023, rebel insurgents from three different groups launched a coordinated assault on the junta, creating an all-out civil war in the country. This conflict continues today, with junta and rebel forces clashing across the country, creating a humanitarian crisis. Most civilians now live below the poverty line and many have been displaced from their homes.
Mexico
The Mexican government continues to fight against drug cartels within the country in a conflict that has been active since 2006. These groups are responsible for drugs being smuggled into the United States via the Mexican-American border. 30-35% of Mexico is controlled by these cartels according to the U.S. Northern Command. The situation in the country is unlivable in some areas, with civilians being terrorized and caught in the crossfire between rival groups.
On April 5th of this year, 7 people were found dead inside a car in Puebla, Mexico. 5 of them had been decapitated and all had hand-written notes on why they were killed. Unfortunately, crimes like these aren’t uncommon as rival gangs strive to intimidate one another.
The Mexican government faces an impossible challenge, but they still continue to do their best to curb the control of the cartels. Only one nation, El Salvador, has been successful in a task such as this, but the country had to take drastic measures. They elected President Nayib Bukele, who consolidated power in his executive branch in a controversial move to sweep the country with the military, arresting more than 75,000 people to combat gangs vying for control. While he is not an absolute dictator, Bukele holds considerably more power than Mexican President Lopez Obrador, and there is no guarantee that the same strategy would work in Mexico.
Africa
The African continent continues to struggle with instability as civil wars and economic turmoil grip nations like the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sudan, and Ethiopia. These issues continue to bring pain and suffering to the people of Africa.
Mortar fire injured 8 UN peacekeepers in the DRC on March 16th and more UN peacekeepers have been injured or killed across the continent. It is the people of these countries who suffer because of these conflicts. The UN has classified these conflicts as humanitarian crises and continues their efforts to give aid to the civilian populations.
In Sudan, 25 million people face what the UN has called “the world’s largest hunger crisis.” The Sudanese Civil War, which is nearing one year of conflict, has seen around 13,000 people killed. Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fight across the country for control. The RSF has been accused of targeted killings of civilians and sexual violence against minorities in the country. That is not to say that both sides are not violating the rules of war, as both sides have displayed extreme acts of cruelty and disregard for civilian areas.
Yemen
Here in the United States, many may have seen headlines of U.S. forces in the Middle East striking Houthi targets in Yemen. This is due to attacks on international shipping by the group as a protest against the Israeli incursion in Gaza. The Houthis are not new however.
The Houthis are classified as a terrorist group who are fighting against the Yemeni government for control. They are a Shi’ite Muslim group, opposed to the majority Sunni Muslim government. They continue to fight against federal forces in the northwestern part of the country. Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have accused Iran of backing the Houthis for some time now, providing them intelligence and arms to wage a proxy war in the middle east. For now however, they continue to vye for control in Yemen.
