...
By Amira El-Fekki
Middle East News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Since returning to the White House in 2025, President Donald Trump has sought to cast U.S. diplomacy as a global peacemaker, reviving his ambition for a Nobel Peace Prize.
In June, the president wrote on Truth Social that he wouldn't receive a Nobel Peace Prize "no matter what" he accomplished — whether in Russia-Ukraine or Israel-Iran — but added that public recognition was what truly mattered to him.
Washington has taken an active role in brokering ceasefires and mediating disputes across the globe, though major wars continue in some parts, and is currently pushing for an end to the Sudan conflict, which ranks among the world's deadliest in new tallies.
Read More on World
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) recently released its latest update on global conflicts, covering the 12 months up to August 8, 2025. The data tracks full-scale wars, protests, targeted attacks, and non-violent military or political actions shaping conflict dynamics
Below are five places in the world where the deadliest conflicts continue to take place.
Ukraine
ACLED data shows Russian remote strikes on Kyiv doubled in 2024 from the year before, with further escalation in early 2025. Drone attacks in the first seven months already outpace 2024's total by nearly 25 percent. About a third of strikes in both years caused civilian casualties, but 2025's have been deadlier, killing over 100 people—more than twice the annual toll of the previous three years.
In May, the United Nations said it had documented atrocities in Ukraine, including the killing of civilians in populated areas, strikes on hospitals and other protected sites, executions and torture of prisoners of war, the exploitation of children for sabotage, and rights abuses in Russian-occupied territories such as forced citizenship, denial of services, and property seizures.
Gaza and the West Bank
Gaza saw its highest reported civilian death toll since early 2024, according to ACLED, partially due to increasing Israeli strikes but mostly tied to aid distribution incidents. Over a quarter of July's deaths—nearly 700—were recorded, especially near U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, it said.
The strip has witnessed a surge in displacement due to a deepening humanitarian crisis with no sight of a truce between Israel and Hamas after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire and subsequent negotiations collapsed last month. The war has killed over 60,000 people since it erupted after the Hamas October 2023 attack, according to the local health ministry.
Sudan
Sudan's conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced over 12 million, according to ACLED, creating one of the world's largest humanitarian crises. Famine and attacks on health facilities have left millions without basic aid.
The United Nations Security Council has expressed deep concern over the impact of the conflict, including attacks on humanitarian operations and reports of widespread sexual violence by militias since the country plunged into civil war in 2023.
...
Myanmar
Myanmar recorded the highest number in state repression incidents, which ACLED said have steadily risen globally and peaked in 2024. Despite announcing a ceasefire in April, the military has escalated violence, which has continued since the 2021 coup, according to ACLED and Reuters.
Syria
The civil war-torn country has faced repeated outbreaks of violence, underscoring the fragility of its transitional period following the ouster of longtime autocratic ruler Bashar Assad by rebels. The U.S. has backed Syria's new president and reconstruction plan by agreeing to lift sanctions.
Deadly sectarian and retaliatory clashes between militias and government troops have erupted across Syria, particularly in coastal and southern regions. Israel carried out repeated airstrikes across southern Syria, including in areas near the capital, aiming to prevent military threats.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines