Portal:Current events/2026 January 29

Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in the Sahel
  • Islamist insurgency in Niger
    • Diori Hamani International Airport attack
      • The Islamic State attacks the military part of Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger, injuring four soldiers but resulting in the deaths of 20 militants. (Al Jazeera)
  • Boko Haram insurgency
    • Boko Haram militants kill 25 construction workers in an attack on a Nigerian military base under construction in Sabon Gari, Borno State. (ABC News)
  • Mali War
    • Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin insurgents ambush a fuel tanker convoy in western Mali near the Senegalese border, killing at least 15 people, and destroying the tankers amid an ongoing fuel blockade by the jihadist group aimed at crippling the economy. (Africa News)
• Ethiopia–TPLF clashes
  • Clashes between the Ethiopian military and the Tigray People's Liberation Front break out in the Tigray Region. (Al Jazeera)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Pakistani forces kill three militants during an operation in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (The Peninsula)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russia and Ukraine conduct a swap of bodies, with Russia receiving the remains of 38 soldiers and Ukraine receiving the remains of 1,000 soldiers, the first such swap since November 2025. (BBC News)
• Yemeni civil war
  • The World Food Programme ends its operations in northern Yemen following restrictions from the Houthis amid an ongoing famine. (DW)

Business and economy

• Russo-Ukrainian war, International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia–European Union relations
  • The European Union blacklists Russia due to a risk of money laundering. (Reuters)
• Panama's supreme court nullifies the concession held by CK Hutchison to operate the Balboa and Cristóbal ports at the Panama Canal as unconstitutional and orders the facilities to be retendered, following a lawsuit by the comptroller after an audit alleged irregularities. (Financial Times)

Disasters and accidents

• 2025–26 European windstorm season
  • Storm Kristin strikes Portugal, killing six people and causing severe damage in Figueira da Foz. (Yahoo News)
• Eleven people are killed and several others are critically injured when a truck collides with a minibus taxi near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. (AP)
• Seven people are killed in a house collapse in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. (AP News)
• Two people are killed when a military Beechcraft AT-6TH aircraft crashes in Chiang Mai province, Thailand. (Bangkok Post)

Health and environment

• 2025–2026 hunger crisis in Afghanistan
  • The Asian Development Bank and the United Nations launch a two-year, US$100 million programme in Afghanistan to support more than 151,000 families amid rising hunger linked to deportations, economic strain, and reduced foreign aid. (Reuters)

International relations

• Human rights in Georgia
  • The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe launches an expert mission to investigate Georgia's human rights situation after 38 members invoked the Vienna Mechanism in 2024 and raised concerns over the government's compliance with international obligations. (Reuters)
• Iran–European Union relations
  • The European Union designates the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization in response to the crackdown on the recent protests. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Crime in Canada
  • The Cree Nation of Mistissini, Quebec, Canada, enters lockdown after a shooting yesterday killed two men, prompting the closure of schools and public buildings while provincial police investigate a case linked to organized crime and drug activity. (Reuters)
• Scam centers in Myanmar, Capital punishment in China
  • Eleven members of the "Ming crime family" are executed in China after being convicted of various crimes related to operating scam centers in Laukkaing, Kokang, Myanmar. (BBC News) (DW)

Politics and elections

• Burkina Faso's ruling military junta dissolves all political parties, accusing them of "causing divisions" in the country. (AP)