Portal:Current events/2026 February 2

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian conflict
  • SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
    • 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
      • As part of a ceasefire agreement with the Syrian government, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces formally hands over control of Al-Hasakah to government forces. (Reuters)
• Gaza war
  • Blockade of the Gaza Strip
    • Israel partially reopens the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which has been closed since May 2024, allowing 150 people to leave Gaza and 50 to enter per day. (The Guardian)
  • At least five people, including a 3-year-old boy, are killed in Israeli attacks according to the Gaza Health Ministry, including two at the Nuseirat refugee camp and one each in Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis, and Jabalia. The Israeli military says it targeted "militants operating near the demarcation line". (Haaretz)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Darfur campaign
    • Clashes erupt between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and a tribe formerly allied to it in East Darfur. Prior to the fighting, local sources claim that the tribe abducted relatives of a senior RSF commander over allegations of them allegedly collaborating with the Sudanese Armed Forces. At least five fighters have been reportedly killed on both sides, including the said RSF commander and the tribe's leader. (Sudan Tribune)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • A Ukrainian drone strike kills two people in Stary Oskol, Belgorod Oblast, Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry says 22 Ukrainian drones were shot down during the overnight attack, which also caused several regional airports to suspend flights. (The Moscow Times)

Business and economy

• China–Japan relations
  • 2025–2026 China–Japan diplomatic crisis
    • Japan announces it has begun successfully drilling and retrieving deep-sea sediment containing rare earth minerals near the remote island of Minamitorishima in the Pacific Ocean, as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on China for critical minerals for use in its defense industry and automotive industry. (Asahi)

Disasters and accidents

• Five workers are killed when an under construction bridge collapses in Xiangshui County, Jiangsu, China. (SCMP)
• Five children are killed and six are injured when a bus collides with a truck in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. (APA)
• Three people are killed when a DA40 Diamond Star light aircraft crashes in Orsk, Orenburg Oblast, Russia. (Qatar News Agency) (Aviation Safety Network)
• More than 50,000 people in Ksar el-Kebir, Larache Province, Morocco, are evacuated as flooding from heavy rain and controlled dam releases caused the Loukkos River to overflow, prompting school suspensions, power cuts, and military rescue operations across nearby areas. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Epstein Files, Relationship of Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein
  • Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor leaves Royal Lodge to move to the Sandringham Estate as a result of the controversy about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. (BBC)
• Kidnapping in Nigeria
  • Nigerian police state that at least 80 people abducted from Christian churches in Kaduna State on January 18 return to their homes after fleeing during the abduction, but the Christian Association of Nigeria disputes the figure and says most of the 177 worshippers seized remain missing. (Reuters)
• A ban on using mobile phones in classrooms enters into force in Bolivia in an effort to "increase the attention span of students" and "reduce distractions". The ban applies to all public and private schools. (AP)

Politics and elections

• A South African separatist group, Boervolk of the Orange Free State, files a formal claim in a government gazette seeking land in KwaZulu-Natal, citing historical transactions with Zulu rulers and invoking a United Nations decolonization resolution. (Reuters)