what wars are currently happening

June 28, 2026

Here’s a high-level “quick scoop” on major wars and large armed conflicts currently happening as of early 2026.

🌍 Biggest active wars right now

These are large, high‑intensity wars with major casualties and displacement.

Russia–Ukraine war (Europe)
- Full‑scale invasion began in 2022 and continues with heavy fighting, strikes on cities and infrastructure, and entrenched front lines.

* Still shapes European security, NATO posture, and energy/food markets worldwide.

Israel–Palestinian territories (especially Gaza) & wider Israel–Iran/Hamas/Hezbollah axis (Middle East)
- War that erupted around Gaza in 2023 continues as a grinding conflict with severe humanitarian crisis, recurrent airstrikes, and clashes.

* Connected to tensions and strikes involving Iran-aligned groups (Hezbollah in Lebanon, militias in Syria/Iraq, Yemen’s Houthis).

Sudan civil war (Sudan Armed Forces vs Rapid Support Forces)
- Began in 2023; by 2026 it has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with huge civilian casualties and displacement.

* Fighting centers on major cities and Darfur, with regional actors involved.

Myanmar civil war
- After the 2021 coup, resistance groups and ethnic armed organizations are fighting the military junta across the country.

* Front lines shift often, with both urban attacks and rural insurgency.

Conflicts in DR Congo (eastern DRC)
- Multiple armed groups, including M23 and others, fight government forces and each other in the east, causing chronic violence and displacement.

Ethiopia and surrounding tensions (Horn of Africa)
- The formal Tigray war ended, but Ethiopia still faces serious violence in other regions and tense standoffs with Eritrea and neighbors, sometimes flaring into armed clashes.

🔥 Other serious armed conflicts

These may be civil wars, insurgencies, or large‑scale state–non‑state conflicts.

Syrian conflict (remnant civil war)
- Fronts are more frozen than in the early 2010s, but there are still clashes between regime forces, rebels, Kurdish forces, and foreign militaries.

Yemen conflict
- The intensity has decreased at times, but armed clashes and cross‑border attacks continue, with fragile ceasefires and a severe humanitarian crisis.

West Africa/Sahel jihadist and communal conflicts
- Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and parts of Nigeria and neighbors face jihadist insurgencies and local militias, with frequent attacks on civilians and security forces.

Somalia & northern Mozambique insurgencies
- Al‑Shabaab in Somalia and an Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique continue to fight government and foreign forces.

Afghanistan & Pakistan border violence / insurgencies
- Afghanistan remains unstable under Taliban rule with Islamic State‑linked attacks; there are also recurrent cross‑border incidents and militant activity with Pakistan.

Armenia–Azerbaijan (Nagorno-Karabakh and border)
- Large‑scale Karabakh war ended with Azerbaijan’s 2023 operation, but the broader dispute and border tensions have not fully disappeared.

Internal conflicts in places like Haiti, Mexico, Colombia, Cameroon, and others
- These often blend organized crime, political violence, and insurgency, with very high death tolls even if they’re not always labeled “wars” formally.

🧭 Mini overview table (HTML)

Below is a simplified table to orient you. It’s not exhaustive but covers many of the conflicts most often highlighted in 2025–2026 trackers.

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Region</th>
      <th>Conflict</th>
      <th>Main actors</th>
      <th>Type</th>
      <th>Key issues (short)</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Europe</td>
      <td>Russia–Ukraine war [web:1][web:5][web:8][web:9]</td>
      <td>Russia vs Ukraine, with NATO support to Ukraine [web:1][web:5][web:8]</td>
      <td>Interstate war</td>
      <td>Territory, security order in Europe, energy, food exports [web:1][web:5][web:8]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Middle East</td>
      <td>Israel–Palestinian (Gaza and beyond) [web:5][web:8][web:9][web:10]</td>
      <td>Israel vs Hamas and other Palestinian factions, with Iran-linked groups around [web:5][web:8][web:10]</td>
      <td>Asymmetric/irregular war</td>
      <td>Occupation, security, regional power, massive humanitarian crisis [web:5][web:8]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Africa (Horn)</td>
      <td>Sudan civil war [web:3][web:5][web:7][web:8][web:9]</td>
      <td>Sudan Armed Forces vs Rapid Support Forces and allied militias [web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>Civil war</td>
      <td>Control of state, regional power rivalry, ethnic/urban fighting [web:3][web:5][web:7][web:8]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Africa (Great Lakes)</td>
      <td>Eastern DR Congo conflicts [web:2][web:4][web:8][web:9]</td>
      <td>Congo gov’t vs M23 & many armed groups, some with foreign backing [web:2][web:4][web:8]</td>
      <td>Multi‑sided conflict</td>
      <td>Minerals, local power, ethnic tensions, regional interference [web:2][web:4][web:8]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Asia (Southeast)</td>
      <td>Myanmar civil war [web:2][web:4][web:8][web:9]</td>
      <td>Military junta vs ethnic armed groups & pro‑democracy forces [web:2][web:4][web:8]</td>
      <td>Civil war</td>
      <td>Control of state, ethnic autonomy, democracy vs military rule [web:4][web:8]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Africa (Sahel/West)</td>
      <td>Jihadist & communal conflicts [web:2][web:3][web:4][web:8][web:9]</td>
      <td>States in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria vs jihadist and local militias [web:2][web:4][web:8]</td>
      <td>Insurgencies</td>
      <td>State fragility, extremism, climate and resource stress [web:2][web:4][web:8]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Middle East</td>
      <td>Yemen conflict [web:4][web:8][web:9]</td>
      <td>Houthis vs internationally‑recognized gov’t & coalition backers [web:4][web:8]</td>
      <td>Civil & proxy war</td>
      <td>Control of state, regional Saudi–Iran rivalry, humanitarian disaster [web:4][web:8]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Middle East</td>
      <td>Syria (remnant war) [web:2][web:4][web:8][web:9]</td>
      <td>Syrian gov’t, rebels, Kurdish forces, foreign militaries [web:4][web:8]</td>
      <td>Fragmented conflict</td>
      <td>Regime survival, Kurdish autonomy, foreign influence [web:4][web:8]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Asia (South/Central)</td>
      <td>Afghanistan & cross‑border militancy [web:4][web:5][web:8][web:9]</td>
      <td>Taliban vs Islamic State‑K & other groups, tensions with Pakistan [web:4][web:5][web:8]</td>
      <td>Insurgency/terrorism</td>
      <td>Governance vacuum, extremism, regional security [web:4][web:5][web:8]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Global “gray zone”</td>
      <td>Organized violence in Haiti, Mexico, others [web:2][web:4][web:8][web:9]</td>
      <td>States vs gangs/cartels, militias, political factions [web:2][web:4][web:8]</td>
      <td>Criminal/political conflict</td>
      <td>Territory and revenue control, political instability, high urban violence [web:2][web:4][web:8]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

🧠 How to read “what wars are currently happening”

There is no single, universally agreed list; some trackers count only wars with a certain annual death toll, others include lower‑level armed conflicts.

Numbers and classifications change quickly as ceasefires start or collapse, front lines move, and casualty estimates are updated.

If you want, I can narrow this down to a specific region (like “just the Middle East” or “Africa only”) or to only the very highest‑casualty wars.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.