India-Pakistan, Russia-Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan: Know about 7 global conflicts, civil wars happening now

The world is currently reeling under geopolitical tensions, escalated by wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Recently, a major conflict broke out between two nuclear powers – India and Pakistan – after 26 people were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack and 'Operation Sindoor' was launched by India against Pakistan for supporting cross-border terrorism.

Here's a brief recap of seven major conflicts and wars that the world is witnessing right now:

1. India-Pakistan tension

The conflict between India and Pakistan seems to have de-escalated after the two countries reached a “bilateral understanding” on May 10 to halt firing and military action. A violation by Pakistan was reported soon after the “understanding” was reached.

However, the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan held crucial talks on Monday, May 12. They reportedly agreed to uphold the commitment to cease hostilities and explore immediate measures to reduce troop presence along the borders and forward areas.

The tensions between India and Pakistan rose after at least 26 people were killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmi's Pahalgam on April 22. The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, reportedly claimed responsibilty for the Pahalgam attack. 

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said earlier that Pakistan links were established in this attack.

In retaliation, India launched 'Operation Sindoor' on May 7 at nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) were destroyed under 'Operation Sindoor'. This led to an escalation of the tensions at the India-Pakistan border and along the line of control.

Blackouts were imposed and sirens blared in border areas located in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Around 32 airports were also shut.

Though these measures have been withdrawn now, tension remains high between arch-rival India and Pakistan.

2. Russia-Ukraine war

The Russia-Ukraine war began when Russia launched a “special military action” against Ukraine in February 2022. After three years into the war, US President Donald Trump has offered to mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

In the latest, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, Turkey, saying it should start without delay, as early as May 15. He did not specify whether the talks on Thursday would involve Zelenskyy and himself personally.

Meanwhile, Zelensky has challenged Russia’s Vladimir Putin to meet him personally in Turkey on Thursday. He said that he still hopes for a ceasefire with Russia starting Monday, and that he will “be waiting for Putin in Turkey personally”.

Ukraine, along with European allies, had demanded that Russia accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday before holding talks, but Moscow effectively rejected the proposal and called for direct negotiations instead.

Putin and Zelensky have only met once — in 2019. The Russia-Ukraine war has become one of the most devastating conflicts in Europe.

3. Israel-Hamas/Hezbollah/Houthis

Israel has been in conflict with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthis in Yemen. The Israeli war with Hamas began on October 23 when Hamas launched a surprise attack in parts of Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking over 200 people hostage.

Israel had announced war against Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs Gaza, a day after the attack, on October 8, 2023. Israel had recently paused military operations in Gaza to allow for the release of Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old US-Israeli soldier who had been held hostage since October 2023.

The Gaza war is said to be the bloodiest episode yet in a conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that has rumbled on for more than 75 years and destabilised the Middle East.

Since the start of the war in Gaza, the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has also escalated. According to Al Jazeera, Hezbollah traded attacks across the southern Lebanese border with Israel for nearly a year, since October 8 when it began its attacks to deter Israel from its war on Gaza.

Yemen's Houthis, too, have been launching missiles and drones at Israel, as well as attacking vessels in global shipping lanes, in a campaign that they say is aimed at showing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Notably, Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis are backed by Iran.

4. Yemen's civil war

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when Houthi insurgents took control of Yemen’s capital and largest city, Sanaa, demanding lower fuel prices and a new government.

After failed negotiations, the rebels allegedly seized the presidential palace in January 2015, causing President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government to resign.

Meanwhile, according to the Wilson Centre, the Houthi movement emerged in northern Yemen in the 1990s, in part, as a reaction to rising Saudi financial and religious influence. Iran is widely accused of backing the Houthis.

5. Sudanese civil war

Sudan plunged into civil war on April 15, 2023, when simmering tensions between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) exploded into open warfare in the capital, Khartoum and other parts of the country.

Before the current conflict, Sudan had already been grappling with violence and displacement since the onset of the Darfur crisis in 2003. According to the BBC, the RSF has its origins in the notorious Janjaweed militia that brutally fought rebels in Darfur.

Sudan is in north-east Africa. It is one of the largest countries on the continent.

The war has claimed more than 150,000 lives, and about 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes, BBC reported in March 2025. Moreover, there have been allegations of genocide in the western region of Darfur.

“Sexual violence is also being weaponised in Sudan’s conflict, putting millions of children at risk,” the United Nations said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations said, "Nearly 22 months of conflict between Government forces and their former allied militia, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has left more than 30 million people across Sudan in need of assistance and protection."

6. Kurdish armed group in Turkey

The militant Kurdish group announced on Monday that it is dissolving and ending its decades-long armed conflict with the Turkish state. The move is now expected to bring an end to one of the Middle East's longest-running insurgencies.

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) initially launched its struggle with the goal of establishing an independent Kurdish state.

Over time, it moderated its objectives toward autonomy and greater Kurdish rights within Turkey, the Associated Press reported.

The conflict, which has spilt into neighbouring Iraq and Syria, has claimed tens of thousands of lives since it began in the 1980s.

7. Syrian civil war

Syria’s civil war morphed from small acts of anti-Assad defiance to one of the deadliest and most complex wars of the twenty-first century, CRF reported.

As per the report, the "peaceful" protests against President Assad’s regime in 2011 quickly escalated into a full-scale war between the Syrian government—backed by Russia and Iran — and anti-government rebel groups.

These rebel groups were backed by the US and a rotating number of US allies, including France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Before the conflict began, many Syrians were complaining about high unemployment, corruption and a lack of political freedom under President Bashar al-Assad, who succeeded his father, Hafez, after he died in 2000.

In March 2011, pro-democracy demonstrations erupted in the southern city of Deraa. When the Syrian government used deadly force to crush the dissent, protests demanding the president's resignation erupted nationwide.

As the unrest spread and the crackdown intensified, Opposition supporters took up arms, first to defend themselves and later to rid their areas of security forces. The violence rapidly escalated, and the country descended into civil war, the BBC reported.

Syria's Kurds, who want the right of self-government but have not fought Assad's forces, added another dimension to the conflict.