Conflict

11/2/2026: The US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (collectively known as the Quad) have announced they are close to finalising a detailed initiative aimed at ending Sudan’s civil war, with preliminary approval from the two warring parties. Continued military escalation and the Sudanese army’s refusal to legitimise the RSF undermine prospects for de-escalation.

Source: The Conversation

9/2/2026: Reported plans for the US Department of Defense to purchase cluster munitions from Israel weaken global norms that protect civilians from the widely banned weapons. The US has also recently rolled back restrictions on the use of antipersonnel landmines, another inherently indiscriminate weapon.

Source: Human Rights Watch

8/2/2026: With the end of the New Start treaty, we face a potentially catastrophic nuclear war. Leaders in Washington are pushing ahead with a massive weapons upgrade. In the history of the arms race, citizen pressure and grassroots political action have been effective in prompting weapons limitation and disarmament.

Source: The Guardian

2/2/2026: An authoritative survey of 23 armed conflicts over the last 18 months has concluded that international law seeking to limit the effects of war is at breaking point, with more than 100,000 civilians killed, while torture and rape are committed with near impunity. The laws of armed conflict were developed extensively after the end of the second world war.

Source: The Guardian

1/2/2026: The New START treaty, the last remaining arms control agreement between the US and Russia, has expired, removing the last restraints on an accelerating arms race. A more encouraging milestone relates to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which has been in force for five years as of Jan. 22. Inspired by the land mines and cluster munitions bans, the idea is that as more countries join the TPNW, clinging to these weapons will become less acceptable as the diplomatic and reputational costs of doing so will become greater.

Source: PassBlue

19/1/2026: Israel has suspended nearly every established aid group engaged in Gaza, from Médecins Sans Frontières to World Vision. These organisations refused to sign on to new registration rules explicitly designed to exert Israeli control over the aid response. Instead of upholding the law, the international community has lent its support to US President Trump’s farcical peace plan for Gaza.

Source: The New Humanitarian

8/1/2026: In 2019, Gambia filed a case before the International Court of Justice alleging that Myanmar’s atrocities against the Rohingya in 2017 constitute genocide. During the three-week hearings to commence on January 12, the parties are expected to present their arguments and supporting evidence about whether Myanmar violated the Genocide Convention.

Source: Human Rights Watch

30/12/2025: At least 150,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the conflict within Sudan. Millions more have been internally displaced, or fled across the border or face acute hunger. The international community has the power to stop the killing, but first it must acknowledge the role of the UAE and its western allies in enabling it.

Source: Inter Press Service

19/12/2025: The UN Security Council has unanimously extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for another year. Members expressed concern about renewed offensives by M23 rebels, urging the group to comply with its commitments under the recently agreed Doha framework.

Source: UN News

15/12/2025: The International Criminal Court has sentenced a former leader of Sudan’s “Janjaweed” militias to 20 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Darfur region between 2003-2004. Further fugitives to the court, including former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, remain protected inside Sudan.

Source: Human Rights Watch