42 Killed in Pakistan Separatist Attacks as Balochistan Violence Escalates
Multiple deadly clashes erupted in separate conflicts this week, with 42 killed in Pakistan's Balochistan amid separatist attacks, at least four dead in communal violence in Nigeria's Oyo state, and dozens killed in renewed fighting between Yemeni government forces and Houthis that risks collapsing a 2022 truce.
Deadly Attacks Escalate in Pakistan's Balochistan
Rebel fighters in southwestern Pakistan killed 18 police officers and 11 soldiers in separate attacks, according to the military. [3] The latest attacks, which unfolded in the province of Balochistan, brought the death toll since Monday to 42 people, military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry told a televised news conference Wednesday. [3] The casualties included four civilians, while security forces also killed 54 fighters across several operations. [3] Chaudhry said the 18 slain police officers were abducted Monday, when dozens of fighters descended upon a post guarding the large Mangi dam project in Balochistan’s Ziarat district. [3] Nine other officers were killed in the attack. [3] Then, on Wednesday, fighters ambushed a vehicle as it travelled on a Balochistan highway, killing the 11 soldiers, Chaudhry said. [3] Pakistan has been battling a separatist uprising for years in Balochistan, which is the country’s largest, but least populated, province bordering Afghanistan and Iran. [3] Fighters from the banned Pakistan Taliban and the banned Balochistan Liberation Army have targeted state forces, foreign investment projects and infrastructure in the mineral-laden region. [3] Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of serving as a base for separatist groups seeking to overthrow Pakistan’s central government, which Kabul has denied. [3] Chaudhry warned that the military would pursue all terrorists and their facilitators. [3] “We will chase you, we will hurt you,” Chaudhry said, claiming that “many Afghans” were behind the attacks. [3] “We will take on each and every terrorist, their facilitators, those who harbour them, those who nourish them and those who provide them bases, wherever they are located,” he added. [3]
Communal Clash in Nigeria's Oyo State Leaves Four Dead
Pakistan military spokesperson announces 42 killed in Balochistan separatist attacks. — Source: aljazeera
The Oyo State Government on Wednesday confirmed that four people were killed and several others injured during a violent clash between rival groups, including wheelbarrow pushers, in the Ojoo area of Akinyele Local Government Area of the state. [1] The clash, which began on Tuesday night and continued into Wednesday morning, reportedly followed the killing of a commercial tricycle rider during a dispute over a Point-of-Sale transaction. [1] Residents said the violence erupted after an argument involving some wheelbarrow pushers and a commercial tricycle rider over a failed POS transaction caused by network issues. [1] An eyewitness, who identified herself as Iya Kadijat, said the tricycle rider had withdrawn money from a POS operator, but the transaction could not be confirmed because of poor network service. [1] She said, “Around 11:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight, a man riding a Maruwa went to a POS at Strabag because he wanted to make a withdrawal. They gave him the money, but while they were trying to complete the transaction, the network was bad. He had already collected the money and used it, but the POS operator said the transaction had not gone through. He said, ‘This is the key to my Maruwa. This is my Maruwa. This is my phone. You can keep them. I’m not running anywhere.’ While they were arguing, somebody suddenly came, slapped him and stabbed him. He was rushed to the hospital but died on Wednesday morning.” [1] She added that the rider’s death angered his colleagues, friends and relatives, who mobilised to the area, leading to the violence. [1] Another resident, Azeez Olamiposi, alleged that an armed man carrying a rifle appeared during the clash before another individual allegedly opened fire, killing another victim and injuring several others. [1] The claims could not be independently verified. [1] Speaking during an assessment visit to the area on behalf of Governor Seyi Makinde, the Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal, blamed the violence on criminal elements and urged residents to remain calm. [1] “The civil unrest in this area has been instigated by criminal elements. Criminals are simply criminals, and criminality has no tribal identity. Our priority is to ensure the restoration of peace and stability here in Ojoo and, indeed, across every part of Oyo State,” Lawal said. [1] He added, “Oyo State has always been renowned for its peaceful coexistence, stability, progress and development. Despite the current situation, we remain committed to sustaining that legacy.” [1] The deputy governor assured residents that security agencies had been directed to apprehend those behind the violence and ensure they faced justice. [1]
Yemen Government and Houthis Mobilize as Truce Frays
Military tensions are rising across Yemen after the internationally recognised government, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, and the Houthi group deployed reinforcements to several front lines, raising fears that the country's fragile 2022 truce could unravel. [2] The mobilisation comes after government leaders stepped up their rhetoric against the Houthis and ordered the armed forces to maintain maximum readiness. [2] Yemen's Supreme Security Committee met in the interim capital, Aden, on Monday, affirming the readiness of military and security forces to protect the country's sovereignty. [2] It also called for the rapid completion of a joint military and security operations room. [2] Violent clashes erupted on Sunday on the Jabal Dabbas front in southern Hodeidah province, leaving dozens dead and wounded on both sides in one of the fiercest battles since the UN-brokered truce came into effect in April 2022. [2] Following the fighting, Yemeni Minister of State Waleed Al-Qadeemi said 15 government soldiers were killed. [2] He also claimed government forces killed more than 50 Houthi fighters and wounded dozens more. [2] The Houthis have not commented on the reported casualty figures. [2] However, the group's Saba News Agency announced the deaths of two men, saying they were killed while "defending the homeland and its security and stability", without specifying where or when they died. [2] A military source in the internationally recognised government told The New Arab that the Houthi movements and provocations carried out by the group in coordination with Iran prompted the state's supreme leadership to order an increase in combat readiness across all army forces. [2] The source said the heightened alert covered forces stationed on the front lines, as well as in their brigades and camps. [2] The source added that the Joint Forces stationed on the western coast have deployed reinforcements to the contact line with the Houthis in southern Hodeidah. [2] According to the same source, additional military reinforcements have also arrived from Aden and Lahj to support the Joint Forces on the western coast. [2] Military tensions are also rising in eastern Yemen, particularly in the Al-Rayyan area of Al-Jawf province, where the Nakhef tribal confederation and Houthi forces have been mobilising. [2]
Ongoing Ukraine-Russia Conflict Sees Fresh Strikes and Diplomacy
Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure included strikes that injured at least six people in Odessa and damaged buildings and infrastructure. [4] In Kiev, the number of people killed in a Russian drone attack rose to three, while 10 people were wounded, according to the mayor. [5] Ukrainian forces reported destroying a Russian aircraft, with preliminary information indicating it was a Su-34 fighter-bomber. [4] Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate stated that its forces, in a joint operation, successfully attacked the Saratov oil refinery in Russia, where a fire was recorded. [4] At the NATO summit in Ankara, President Volodymyr Zelensky held meetings with multiple world leaders, including the president of the European Council, the Italian prime minister, the South Korean president, and a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation. [4] Zelensky also met with U.S. President Donald Trump on the margins of the summit. [4] Trump stated that he and Zelensky had developed a very good relationship and that both sides want to end the war. [5] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would continue to support Ukraine with arms supplies from its national stocks and through the PURL initiative while using communication channels with Russia to encourage a peaceful solution. [5]
Regional Context and Humanitarian Concerns
Many Yemenis fear the country could once again descend into open conflict, deepening the humanitarian and economic crises that have already devastated civilian life. [2] Mansour Saeed told The New Arab that citizens live with war every day, "so we want the war to end quickly". [2] He explained: "Every day we wake up to bad news. We have been unable to live and carry out our work and our lives normally, and all of this is because the war has continued and remained unresolved – neither war nor peace – and our lives have remained suspended as well." [2] Retired civil servant Mohammed Awsan told The New Arab that all the conflicts and wars "caused people to suffer and subjected them to hardship through the collapse of services, the economy and the currency". [2] He added that "the war with the Houthis may now return, so all we want to know is how it will end for us". [2] In Balochistan, Pakistan's military accused Afghans and others of backing the attacks by the Pakistan Taliban and Balochistan Liberation Army. [3]
What to watch next: Yemenis expressed concern that the war may return and deepen suffering through further collapse of services, the economy and the currency, while Pakistan's military stated it would pursue terrorists and facilitators wherever located.
