Conflict

2/10/2026: Just four years after a landmark peace deal officially halted the devastating Tigray war, fighting has escalated once again in northern Ethiopia. The situation looks quite different from the previous conflict. Parties outside the country have been accused of meddling, each having their own motives to destabilize Ethiopia's government.

Source: DW

29/9/2026: Members of Mali’s armed forces have been accused of committing war crimes, including the murder and torture of civilians, during joint operations in the Ségou, Mopti and Timbuktu regions between 2023 and 2025. A report by Amnesty International includes evidence that personnel from the Wagner Group were complicit.

Source: Amnesty International

25/9/2026: Sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court imposed by the Trump administration will be the subject of legal action by human rights experts and organisations from around the world. They will assert that the sanctions illegally undermine access to justice for victims of serious international crimes.

Source: Human Rights Watch

25/9/2026: There are worrying signs of a return to war in Tigray and northern Ethiopia as a diverse coalition of the country’s ethnic-based opposition movements announced their intention to oust the federal government. With several conflicts already disrupting the region and the international community distracted by war in the Middle East, hopes for effective mediation are slim.  

Source: African Arguments

15/9/2026: While the reasons behind the new offensive are murky and complex, the impact on Yemen’s most vulnerable civilians has been clear and direct. The UN reports that 125,000 people have been newly displaced in just two weeks and the numbers are rising quickly.  This is a country where 15-16 million people are already expected to need food aid through September.

Source: The New Humanitarian

30/8/2026: The path to self-determination of what is today independent Timor-Leste and Nepal’s emergence from a 10-year civil war are case studies of successful peace-building through intense UN involvement. Candidates for selection as the next UN secretary-general should take heed of the lessons learned.

Source: PassBlue

27/8/2026: The Trump administration has consistently claimed that international law doesn’t apply to the US, an opinion that may be tested in due course. Starting the war with Iran, and detail of its conduct, are both potential war crimes under international law.

Source: The Conversation

24/8/2026: A new roadmap sets out the conditions toward peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), building on the US-brokered framework signed in Doha last year. But disagreements over M23 rebels, Rwanda's role and security concerns remain, and could still derail the process.

Source: DW

19/8/2026: The US has imposed a new round of sanctions targeting the president and a senior prosecutor, alleging that the International Criminal Court is a threat to US national sovereignty. Although the Court is not part of the UN, the Secretary-General  has expressed serious concerned at the latest US action.

Source: UN News

19/8/2026: The economy that sustains rebel militias is vital to understanding conflict in eastern Congo. Peace processes built around military and political settlements keep failing because control of territory is more important than winning major battles. Civilian populations suffer the consequences.

Source: African Arguments