Sunday, 18 May 2025
Sunday, 18 May 2025
Drones and fighter jets. Blackouts and sirens. Blasts and mock drills. It has barely been a week since the pause on military hostilities between India and Pakistan following the massacre at Baisaran. It has barely been a week and already most of us have moved on, not counting the fraction directly in the line of fire.
The trolls are trolling, the TV squares wagging their fingers, the government and the Opposition emerging out of their forced huddle, their fissures once more showing… It has barely been a week and the conversation at cha addas and among morning walkers has already turned from Muridke, Sargodha and S-400 to Kohli’s retirement and the first lot of himsagar. Technology might knit us closer than ever, technically, but nothing like a shared understanding to close other gaps. Perhaps one can better appreciate this normal if one can weigh in that which is passing for normal elsewhere. Here’s a look at some of the ongoing wars — cross-border and internal — across the globe, their consequences and the atrocities they have normalised. After all, it has barely been a week since we had a close shave.
GAZA & WEST BANK
Backgrounder: On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led fighters launched an attack from Gaza that killed about 1,200 people in Israel. Israel’s retaliation has been continuing these 19 months. 891 Israeli soldiers killed to date
Countries involved: The US, UK and Germany back Israel. 120 nations voted for “cessation of hostilities” at the UN; India abstained
Before the war: The coastal strip on ancient trading and maritime routes along the Mediterranean shore had been inhabited for thousands of years and fought over by many
Killed:
NEWSFLASH:
Collateral damage: Neighbours Egypt and Jordan have had to absorb most of the refugees.
UKRAINE
Backgrounder: Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine is an “artificial state”, which is also his justification for wanting to take over Ukraine. The trigger for the February 2022 invasion was to bar Ukraine from joining Nato. The war has been on for 39 months
Countries involved: The US and Nato member states back Ukraine, Belarus is Russia’s ally. India has said it is on the side of peace
Before the war: Ever since the Soviet Union collapsed and Ukraine gained independence, the country has struggled to form a stable democracy
Killed
NEWSFLASH: On April 4, 2025, a missile attack in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih… The missile hit a residential neighbourhood, striking a playground and nearby apartment buildings, killing a reported 18 people — including nine children — and injuring 75 others, among them 12 children
Collateral damage: Except for Belarus, all other neighbouring countries — Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova — have been pounded by Russia for supporting Ukraine. Poland in particular has had to bear the brunt as it is the hub of aid for Ukraine.
SYRIA
Backgrounder: What began as a peaceful uprising against the Bashar al-Assad regime did not end with the politician-turned-dictator’s ouster. The civil war in Syria has been on since March 2011, which comes to 170 months
Countries involved: Syrian pro-government forces are backed by Russia and Iran, Syrian democratic forces are backed by the US and aided by Saudi Arabia; insurgent groups backed by Turkey
Before the war: It was a lower- middle-income country with a growing tourist interest and a great dependency on oil reserves
Killed
NEWSFLASH: August 21, 2013. The Assad regime dropped rockets filled with sarin gas on eastern and western Ghouta. Banned under international law, the gas affected 7,000 people of which 1,300 died
Collateral damage: 6 million refugees live in the neighbouring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
SUDAN
Backgrounder: Power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces or RSF founded by former dictator Omar al-Bashir as an Arab counterinsurgency militia. The war has been on since April 15, 2023, or 23 months
Countries involved: Egypt and Saudi Arabia are supporting the SAF. The RSF is supported by neighbouring African states; the UAE too is believed to have aided it
Before the war: Since the Darfur Genocide of 2003, Sudan has been faced with violence and displacement
Killed:
Mass sexual violence: Rape, gangrape and sexual slavery. Militia fighters who raped and attacked women from minority groups threat- ened to force them to have “Arab babies”, according to a UN report
NEWSFLASH: Children as young as one being raped by armed men, according to a Unicef report
Collateral damage: Already overwhelmed neighbours Egypt, Chad have received refugees; medical facilities in Ethiopia and South Sudan also stretched; spread of diseases.
YEMEN
Backgrounder: What started as a clash between the Yemeni government and the Houthis — “an armed political and religious group” — has continued for more than a decade or 127 months. The bulk of Yemen is now controlled by the Houthis
Countries involved: The Houthis are backed by Iran; and the Yemeni government is backed by Saudi Arabia, which is supported by the UK, US, France, Canada
Before the war: The desert nation was already the poorest country in the Arab world. However, long before that in ancient times, the region was referred to as Arabia Felix for its fertile lands and bounteous trade
Killed:
NEWSFLASH: Poorest country in terms of water resources. Armed conflict has devastated the water management system including dams, pumping stations, distribution networks. In some cities water availability is 0.7 litres per person per day. Instead of going to school, children are forced to go to distribution points to get their share of water.
Collateral damage: Apart from burdening neighbouring nations — Djibouti, Somaliland, Puntland, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Jordan, Egypt — with refugees, the war has added to regional instability, trade and security concerns.
MYANMAR
Backgrounder: After the military coup of 2021 came the conflict between the military junta, or the State Administration Council, and the National Unity Government, a pro-democracy shadow government led by ousted civilian leaders
Countries involved: China, Russia accused of supporting the junta
Before the war: Had been rocked by civil wars since 1948
Killed:
NEWSFLASH: “One of my three brothers was arrested for liking a Facebook post. His legs were cut off. Boiling water was poured on the wounds, causing him to lose consciousness. When he regained consciousness the next morning, soldiers dragged him out. They tied him up and made him lie under the scorching sun until he fainted again. When he woke up a second time, he found himself in a truck headed to Insein Prison.” Former journalist Maung Maung told The Independent.
Collateral damage: Thailand and Bangladesh burdened with “tens of thousands of refugees”.
Sources: Reports of the United Nations (UN), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNHCR, Unicef, WHO, NGOs and news reports
