We independently assess all our recommendations. Purchases through our links may earn us a commission.
With the war in Ukraine dominating the media, you might not know about these 6 lesser-known ongoing conflicts. The outcome of the Ukrainian War will probably be the most important geopolitical event of the decade, but it’s crucial to understand that there are other conflicts occurring on every continent between governments or rebel groups.
Staying up to date on different political events in the world will help you easier understand the ins and outs of international politics. Before we get into these six conflicts, it’s important to understand what exactly a conflict is and how a conflict differs from a war.
What Is a Conflict?
A conflict, in the terms of geopolitics, is when two or more armed groups are engaged in combat or a dispute over territory or political influence. These armed groups can be rebels, terrorist organizations, governments, etc. Essentially, any organized group with the means to arm themselves fighting against another armed group is a conflict.
Note: this does not include criminal organizations such as gangs unless there is major paramilitary action. A gang in Los Angeles is not considered to be involved in a conflict with the U.S., even though they are organized and armed. The cartel fighting the Mexican government for control of cities using military-grade vehicles, weapons, and equipment does constitute a conflict and is part of the overall larger War on Drugs.
Is a Conflict Different Than a War?
War and conflict are extremely similar, and you may see them used interchangeably, but there is a slight nuance to these two words. A war is generally a widespread armed conflict across a nation between two or more armed groups. The War in Ukraine is a great example. The entire nation has been devastated by the armed conflict, with millions fleeing the country and hundreds of thousands killed in just one year.
On the other hand, a conflict can be violent, but the violence either isn’t widespread, devastating to the nation or happens often enough to be declared a war. The ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is a great example of how two nations can have a border disagreement with occasional violence but not be fighting a full-fledged war against each other.
All war is conflict, but not all conflicts are war. Since World War II, war is no longer commonly fought between nation-states. Instead, war is often fought in the form of a civil war, mainly in Africa. Wars between nation-states still occur, but compared to the number of ongoing and past civil wars, they pale in comparison.
What Was the Deadliest Conflict in History?
World War II is almost certainly the deadliest conflict in the history of humanity. In just six short years, anywhere from 35,000,000 to 60,000,000+ people were killed. These numbers include soldiers on all sides as well as civilian deaths. Most wars that come close to this number lasted decades, with the fighting spread out across multiple offensives in different periods of time. World War II lasted slightly more than half a decade and saw whole communities wiped off the face of the earth.
6 Ongoing Conflicts You Haven’t Seen in the News Lately
The Korean War
This one is a bit of a technicality, but the Korean War never truly came to an end— and a lot of people don’t realize it. While it’s over in the sense that both sides have stopped fighting and man the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), neither side has fully agreed to peace and an end to the war. An armistice was signed at the end of the war in 1953, which was broken by North Korea multiple times over the last seventy years.
In 2013, North Korea declared that the armistice was over and they were in a state of war. Three years later, North Korea sought formal peace talks or threatened to continue their nuclear tests, but nothing has come of it yet, almost seven years later. Knowing North Korea, this is more than likely a political ploy, and they have no intentions of actually seeking peace.
By the way!
Did you know we’re launching a Kickstarter campaign? In the next few months, our campaign for ‘Gentle Jack: The Party Game for Bad Friends‘ goes live! Visit the official website or follow the Kickstarter page to stay in the loop.
Myanmar Civil War
The Myanmar Civil War is a recent war that started in 2021 between the government-in-exile following the 2021 coup d’état and the current military junta running the country. The fighting is mainly relegated to rural areas in the country and has displaced almost a million people.
The previous leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been sentenced to over three decades in prison by the military junta in a kangaroo court. General Min Aung Hlaing now governs the country. Min Aung Hlaing is considered to be responsible for the Rohingya genocide, which saw thousands killed, tens of thousands raped, and hundreds of thousands displaced into India and parts of South East Asia.
Boko Haram Insurgency
Boko Haram isn’t as well known as the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, or ISIS, but they’re just as terrifying. Boko Haram is a terrorist organization active in Northern Africa responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in the last two decades. They aim to establish an Islamic State in Nigeria that operates under Shariah law and are involved in multiple ongoing conflicts.
Boko Haram literally translates to “Western education is forbidden,” and they will do anything to uphold that belief, including massacring children in schools and entire villages. They’re involved in numerous conflicts with different governments in Africa and have prompted different nations, such as the US, France, and the UK, to respond to their atrocities and attacks.
Syrian Civil War
The Syrian Civil War is still ongoing, with dozens of different state actors and non-state actors involved in it throughout its duration. This war was in the news during Obama and Trump’s presidencies but has faded from view in recent times. The Syrian government, led by Bashar al-Assad, has taken back a large portion of the country that was formally under the control of ISIS and rebel groups but still struggles to maintain full control of their country.
This is further impeded by Turkey’s military involvement in the north of the country under Operation Euphrates Shield. ISIS is essentially no longer a major issue in Syria, but multiple rebel groups still maintain footholds in the northeast of the country. The fighting is expected to continue for years to come, and dictator Bashar al-Assad isn’t expected to be ousted anytime soon.
Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
A great example of the difference between a conflict and a war is the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict which has recently reignited between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh is a contested region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, currently held by Azerbaijan after the brief war in 2020.
Armenia and Azerbaijan fought for a month and a half in 2020, and it ultimately resulted in massive territory gains for Azerbaijan, with military and civilian losses on both sides. A ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia ended the war but forced Armenia to return any occupied territory to Azerbaijan. While the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War ended in 2020, there is still an ongoing border crisis with sparse fighting and combat.
Abkahz-Georgian Conflict
A lot of people drew similarities between Russia’s actions in Ukraine and the Georgian-Russo War in 2008. Like Ukraine, Georgia was interested in joining NATO and aligning itself more with the west until Russia invaded in the name of defending two regions being persecuted by the Georgian government— Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The war would last just five days as Georgia didn’t have the firepower to fight the Russian military, and would result in Abkhazia and South Ossetia becoming their own territories protected by Russia.
Georgia is, understandably, angry at the result of this war and still refuses to recognize the two new states, and most of the world still doesn’t recognize Abkhazia or South Ossetia as independent nations separate from Georgia. The conflict isn’t violent today, but the borders are manned by the military on either side and are disputed internationally.
