Turn on the news and it feels like the world is coming apart at the seams. Honestly, it’s a lot to keep track of. You hear about a drone strike one day and a "frozen conflict" the next, but if you're trying to figure out which wars are going on right now, the answer isn't just one single headline. It’s a messy, interconnected map of high-tech trench warfare, brutal civil insurgencies, and "gray zone" shadow boxing that doesn't always look like traditional combat.
War has changed.
We aren't just talking about soldiers in uniform anymore. We’re talking about AI-driven loitering munitions in Eastern Europe and starving populations in the Sudans. It’s heavy.
The Heavyweight Struggles: Ukraine and the Middle East
The most visible answer to what wars are going on remains the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Entering its fourth year of full-scale escalation in 2026, this has become the defining conventional war of our generation. It’s a paradox. On one hand, you have soldiers shivering in mud-filled trenches that look straight out of 1917. On the other, they’re using FPV (First Person View) drones to hunt individual tanks with terrifying precision.
The front lines have largely stayed stubborn, but the toll is staggering. Estimates from organizations like the U.K. Ministry of Defence and various open-source intelligence (OSINT) groups suggest casualties—killed and wounded—have climbed well into the hundreds of thousands on both sides. This isn't just a border dispute. It’s a systemic clash over the European security architecture.
Then you have the Middle East.
It’s a tinderbox. The conflict that exploded in October 2023 between Israel and Hamas has bled out into something much larger. It’s not just Gaza. It’s the "Axis of Resistance"—a network involving Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various militias in Iraq and Syria, all backed by Iran.
You’ve probably seen the headlines about the Red Sea. The Houthis, a group most people hadn't heard of five years ago, basically throttled global shipping by firing missiles at cargo ships. This forced the U.S. and U.K. to launch Operation Prosperity Guardian. It’s a perfect example of how a localized war can make your morning coffee more expensive or delay your new smartphone delivery.
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The "Forgotten" Wars: Sudan and Myanmar
It’s kind of tragic how some conflicts get 24/7 coverage while others—where the death tolls are often higher—barely get a mention below the fold.
Sudan is currently experiencing one of the worst humanitarian disasters on the planet. This isn't a war between two countries. It’s a power struggle between two men: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Mohamed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo, who leads the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Basically, two military wings that used to be partners decided to burn the country down to see who gets to sit on the throne.
The UN has sounded the alarm repeatedly about ethnic cleansing in Darfur, echoing the horrors we saw in the early 2000s. Millions have fled. Famine is a literal, present reality, not just a threat. Yet, because there isn't a "Western" geopolitical angle that's easy to digest, it often falls out of the cycle when we talk about which wars are going on.
Then there’s Myanmar.
Since the 2021 coup, the country has been in a state of civil war. But something shifted recently. A coalition of ethnic armed organizations (the Three Brotherhood Alliance) launched "Operation 1027," which caught the military junta off guard. They’ve lost control of huge swathes of the border regions. It’s a fragmented war. It’s a war of a thousand cuts, fought by young people who traded their laptops for rifles because they refused to go back to a military dictatorship.
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Why These Wars Feel Different
You might notice a pattern. War today is "hybrid."
Take the Sahel region in Africa—places like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. These aren't just wars against Al-Qaeda or ISIS affiliates. They are also battlegrounds for influence. You’ve got Russian mercenaries (formerly Wagner, now reorganized under the "Africa Corps" banner) replacing French and American troops. The coups in these countries weren't just internal politics; they were geopolitical pivots that changed the map of global alliances.
War is also becoming "democratized" in a scary way.
Ten years ago, only a superpower could fly a sophisticated armed drone. Now? A group with a few thousand dollars and a 3D printer can build a "suicide drone" that can take out a million-dollar radar system. This is why when you ask which wars are going on, you have to look at the tech. Cyber warfare is constant. Every day, hackers linked to state actors are probing the power grids of their enemies. Is that "war"? To the people who lose power in the middle of winter, it certainly feels like it.
Current Active Major Conflicts at a Glance
- Russia-Ukraine: Conventional, high-intensity, existential.
- Israel-Hamas/Hezbollah: Regional escalation, urban warfare, proxy involvement.
- Sudan Civil War: SAF vs. RSF, massive displacement, ethnic violence.
- Myanmar Civil War: Pro-democracy and ethnic groups vs. the military junta.
- The Sahel: Insurgency, counter-terrorism, and the rise of Russian influence.
- Eastern DR Congo: M23 rebels and dozens of other groups fighting over mineral wealth.
The Role of Resources and Climate
We can't talk about which wars are going on without mentioning why they keep happening.
It’s often about what’s in the ground. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the fighting in the east is inextricably linked to the "green revolution." Your electric vehicle battery needs cobalt and coltan. Much of that is in the DRC. Armed groups fight for control of these mines because that’s how they fund their rebellions. It’s a "blood mineral" cycle that hasn't stopped; it’s just changed its target.
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Climate change is the "threat multiplier."
In places like the Lake Chad basin, the water is disappearing. When the water goes, the herders and the farmers start killing each other over what’s left. Extremist groups like Boko Haram then step in to recruit the desperate. It’s a vicious loop.
How to Stay Informed Without Losing Your Mind
It is easy to get "compassion fatigue." When you see a map of which wars are going on, it feels overwhelming. But understanding the nuances helps.
Don't just look at the maps. Look at the supply chains.
If there is a conflict in the Taiwan Strait (which remains a massive "what if" that keeps the Pentagon up at night), the global economy would essentially halt. Why? Because nearly all the advanced semiconductors that run our world come from one island. Peace isn't just a moral imperative; it's a functional one for the modern world.
Experts like Peter Zeihan or the analysts at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) often point out that we are moving away from a "policed" world. For decades, the U.S. Navy basically guaranteed safe passage on the oceans. That’s fading. As the world becomes more "multipolar," more local players feel they can settle old scores through force without a superpower stepping in to stop them.
Actionable Steps for Navigating Global News
If you want to keep track of these developments without being misled by propaganda or AI-generated slop, you need a strategy.
- Use Live Conflict Maps: Websites like Liveuamap or DeepStateMap provide real-time updates based on verified social media footage and satellite imagery. They are excellent for seeing where the front lines actually are versus where the politicians say they are.
- Follow OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) Experts: People like the team at Bellingcat or independent researchers on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky use commercial satellite data to verify claims. They often debunk fake "war footage" that is actually from video games like ARMA 3.
- Check the "Humanitarian Overview": Read the reports from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) or Doctors Without Borders (MSF). They focus on the human cost rather than the tactical wins, which gives you a better sense of the war's long-term impact.
- Diversify Your Sources: If you only watch one news channel, you're getting a curated slice of reality. Mix in Al Jazeera, Reuters, and The Guardian to see how different regions perceive the same conflict.
The world in 2026 is noisy. Conflict is everywhere, but it’s rarely as simple as "good guys vs. bad guys." Most of the time, it’s a struggle for survival, resources, or power in a world that feels increasingly unstable. By staying informed on which wars are going on, you're better prepared to understand the economic shifts and political movements that will eventually land on your own doorstep.
Pay attention to the gaps between the headlines. That is usually where the real story lives.