Spanish Media: Over 50 Active Armed Conflicts Testing Global Stability

According to a report by Reference News Network on May 5, the website of the Spanish newspaper published an article on May 2 titled "Iran, Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen, and Myanmar: Over 50 Active Armed Conflicts Worldwide," authored by Yolanda Rodríguez. The main content is as follows:

The world order is precarious. From Ukraine and Sudan to Iran, Lebanon, and the Sahel region of Africa, the international system is experiencing the most severe violent conflicts since the end of World War II, with over 50 active armed conflicts testing global stability.

The current global map is filled with high-intensity wars, long-term insurgencies, and "hybrid threats," with escalating situations that are concerning. Crises are no longer limited to isolated conflict hotspots but are occurring simultaneously, spreading, and interconnected.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and reports from the Council on Foreign Relations confirm that the number of armed conflicts is reaching a historical high since the end of World War II. This trend accompanies the ongoing weakening of international law, which has served as a barrier against the abuse of force for decades.

The result is a paradigm shift in international relations: war is no longer an exception in the international system but one of its components. The post-war world order, built on the idea of containing violence, has completely collapsed.

The Middle East

Iran is one of the most turbulent regions. The situation has evolved from proxy wars to direct conflicts between states, causing turmoil in the international energy market.

In addition to its confrontation with Iran, Israel is also in an open state of hostility with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both sides continue to bombard each other, conducting retaliatory strikes and escalating actions, keeping the border region in a constant state of tension.

Israel is also continuing to create conflict in the Gaza Strip, where the situation has been described as "catastrophic" by multiple international humanitarian organizations and agencies. Although a nominal ceasefire agreement is set to take effect in October 2025, hostilities have not actually ceased.

Yemen remains one of the regions with the most severe humanitarian crises in the world. The conflict between the Yemeni government and the Houthi movement, along with the behind-the-scenes manipulation by regional powers, has led to a series of unstable ceasefire agreements and ongoing sporadic attacks.

Syria is in a state of "frozen" war, with sporadic conflicts coexisting with a long-term humanitarian crisis.

Ukraine

The war of attrition between Ukraine and Russia has entered its fifth year in the heart of Europe, with no end in sight. The front lines are in a stalemate, and the intensity of the conflict remains high.

Ukraine's dependence on Western support has become a key factor in this conflict, especially after Trump returned to the White House and decided to cut direct aid. In this context, the European Union has taken on a core role, launching new financial and military aid programs, including loans totaling 90 billion euros for 2026 and 2027. Economic assistance and military equipment provided by Europe have allowed Kyiv to maintain its defense. Sporadic prisoner exchanges and occasional offensive actions have kept this war of attrition ongoing.

Africa

79% of the activities of the "Islamic State" are concentrated in Africa, which is experiencing a "perfect storm" of civil wars, jihadist insurgencies, and profound geopolitical restructuring.

As French troops are expelled from Chad, Senegal, and Côte d'Ivoire, Western military influence in these regions is significantly weakening.

Much of the African continent is mired in a vortex of violence, with increasing foreign intervention and the collapse of state structures making any prospects for diplomatic resolution bleak.

The situation in Sudan has evolved into an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. Meanwhile, the crisis in eastern Congo (DRC) continues.

This instability is spreading across the entire African continent: in Somalia, nearly 10,000 deaths were caused by civil war in 2025 alone; in Mozambique's northeastern Cabo Delgado province, Islamic insurgencies are affecting the implementation of several strategic energy projects, indicating that extremism has spread to the African continent, undermining regional security.

Asia

The Asian continent faces a complex situation of multiple ongoing conflicts, with violence intertwined with ethnic, religious, and geopolitical tensions. Since 2021, Myanmar has been ravaged by civil war, with conflicting parties including the military, guerrillas, and dozens of opposing ethnic groups.

The border "Durand Line" between Afghanistan and Pakistan has once again become a flashpoint for tensions.

Latin America

Latin America also has armed conflicts, but these conflicts are distinctly different from large-scale conventional wars in other regions. Here, internal conflicts, drug trafficking, structural violence, and non-state armed groups clashing with the state for territory and power are intertwined.

In early 2026, the United States deployed troops to forcibly control Venezuelan President Maduro, adding new instability to an already tense situation in Latin America.

In countries like Colombia, some violent events date back decades and continue to persist. Conflicts between government forces and remaining guerrillas or paramilitary groups are ongoing.

In Mexico and Central America, armed violence is deeply rooted in drug trafficking groups and gangs, which fuel high murder rates, internal displacement, and forced migration, turning large areas of these societies into enduring battlefields.

Although we are not discussing "total conflicts" like those in Ukraine or Sudan, the accumulation of these situations has made several regions in Latin America breeding grounds for protracted armed conflicts. (Translated by Wang Meng)