10 Conflicts to Watch in 2026
- International Crisis Group
- Jan 3
- 1 min read
New Commentary from Crisis Group
Over the last year, fighting raged on in Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar and the Sahel, as did gang turf battles in Haiti. The war in Gaza wound down, but only after Israel, having resumed its assault in March, razed much of what was left of the strip. Israel and Iran traded blows, with the United States eventually joining in. Thailand and Cambodia clashed along their disputed border. So, too, did Afghanistan and Pakistan. An exchange of fire between India and Pakistan was their worst in decades. Through rebel proxies, Rwandan President Paul Kagame has, in effect, annexed the North and South Kivu provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
That violence wracked the past year and, as this list shows, will do the same in the next hardly comes as a surprise. Already for a while, conflict has been spiking worldwide. Major wars have erupted with terrible frequency.
The world was careening into a dangerous new era well before U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to power. Thus far, his second term has done less to slow things down than to put a foot on the gas.Â
Click here to view the Visual Explainer of 10 Conflicts to Watch in 2026.
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