That of war

That of war. Cartoon of 24/11/2024 in CTXT

Translation of the cartoon: "Bah! That war thing is another continent.

If there is one thing we are good at because we have perfected it over the years, it is killing each other. We have also managed to create more and better devices to bring death and destruction to every corner of the planet.

An almost daily routine is to review what is being said about the different "wars" (as you know, Palestine is many things but not a war). This week, to the list, which includes so many other so-called"forgotten" wars, another one has been added to the list which is not new either, that of Syria.

Syria

Aleppo, Syria's second largest city, has been the scene of a significant upsurge in the Syrian conflict. Groups of what the media call "rebels", led by a former Al Qaeda branch, have launched a rapid and forceful offensive, managing to take control of a large part of the city. By now there is already talk that Bashar al-Assad has lost total control of Aleppo.

The main groups that have entered Aleppo are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist organisation with historical links to Al Qaeda.

In four days, more than 300 people have been killed in the intense fighting and, for a change, thousands of civilians have suffered the consequences. Turkey (which is seeking to get rid of thousands of Syrian refugees) and Iran have agreed to revive dialogue between the parties to try to stop this new escalation. Meanwhile, Shia militias from Iraq have entered Syria to reinforce al-Assad's army. This is just one more chapter in a conflict that has been ravaging Syria since 2011.

Ceasefire in Lebanon

A ceasefire in Lebanon began at 4 a.m. on 27 November. It was negotiated by France and the United States after 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. This agreement is structured in three stages: an initial truce to stop the fighting, the withdrawal of Hezbollah north of the Litani River and the stabilisation of the area with the support of international guarantors.

The agreement, with an initial duration of 60 days, is intended to allow the return of approximately 900,000 displaced people to their homes in southern Lebanon and Beirut. Although a relief for millions of people, its fragility is evident due to simmering tensions and questions over its effective implementation. Just two days after the truce began, Israel and Lebanon have already accused each other of violating the ceasefire.

Ukraine

The Ukrainian army used long-range US ATACMS missiles against targets in Russia for the first time. Joe Biden authorised their use because he is the main supplier of cucumbers for any war. These missiles fly at supersonic speeds and can reach points up to 300km away, with a warhead containing 227 kilos of explosives or cluster munitions that open up on the target and disperse hundreds of mini-bombs over a wide area.

Russia has also wasted no time and struck for the first time with the "Oreshnik", a hypersonic ballistic missile said to be almost impossible to intercept and capable of travelling at a speed of 2.5 to three kilometres per second to reach points up to 5500 km away.

Sudan

Sudan is experiencing some of the worst violence since the civil war began in April 2023. One of the latest estimates put the death toll at more than 61,000, tripling the figures initially offered by the UN. Fighting continues between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), especially in Khartoum and Darfur, causing a massive humanitarian crisis. The situation has displaced millions of people, making it one of the worst global refugee crises in the world.

The war began on 15 April 2023, after tensions built up between the SAF, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the FAR led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The two groups, initially allied in the 2021 coup, came into conflict over political and military control of the country. FAR launched attacks in Khartoum and other regions, marking the beginning of armed clashes that quickly spread across the country and further aggravated problems of poverty and access to basic services.