Manipur Violence Kills Nine as Naga Group Demands Return of Severed Head in Most Dangerous Countries

Multiple deadly conflicts continue across the globe in most dangerous countries, from renewed violence in India's Manipur state and bandit attacks in Nigeria to ongoing fighting in Gaza, Ethiopia's Tigray region, and the wider Middle East three years after the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

Ongoing Gaza Conflict One Year After Ceasefire

One year after a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire, Israeli strikes continue near-daily, 82 percent of structures remain damaged or destroyed, and most of Gaza's 2 million residents are still displaced in tents with disease outbreaks. [3] Residents still living in displacement camps under near-daily Israeli airstrikes say the truce has not brought the promised peace. [3] Israel has reduced the intensity of its attacks but has kept up its strikes and now controls about 70 percent of Gaza, while the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory called for under the ceasefire plan has still not materialised. [3] "Nothing has changed for the better; everything has gotten worse, they lie to us, it is all lies," Fatima Awkal, a displaced woman in Gaza City, told AFP. [3] "Martyrs are still falling, people are still being injured, the shelling continues, and we cannot even find a moment's peace from the constant buzzing of the drones overhead." [3] On the streets of Gaza City, rows of white tents line passageways that have been cleared of rubble from destroyed homes, while in the distance blown-out windows gape from the facades of buildings that remain standing. [3] Ahmed Jonaid, another displaced Palestinian in Gaza City, said he had hoped to return home after the ceasefire. [3] "We thought we would experience some happiness and return to our homes. Instead, we see ourselves suffering in refugee camps, sleeping on makeshift mats," the 51-year-old said as he carried two jerricans of water back to his tent. [3] Almost all of Gaza's more than two million residents were displaced at least once during the war that broke out with Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. [3] With 82 percent of all standing structures in Gaza either damaged or destroyed as of mid-2026 per the UN, many residents still live in tents or makeshift shelters, where overcrowding and a lack of hygiene has led to outbreaks of disease. [3] Ahmed Shawan, a doctor at a hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis, said that he had yet to see the ceasefire take effect on the ground. [3] "It has been a full year since the ceasefire was declared, yet it exists only on paper," he said. [3] Israel continues to attack Gaza on a near daily basis. [3]

Fresh Violence Erupts in India's Manipur in Most Dangerous Countries

In Manipur, at least nine people were killed in firing incidents between Kuki and Naga groups in Kamjong, Ukhrul and Kangpokpi districts; a Naga organization issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the return of a severed head from a militant attack. [2] A Naga civil society organisation has issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding the return of the severed head of a man allegedly killed by armed groups in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district. [2] According to news agency PTI, the headless body of 52-year-old Ajinbou R, who was allegedly killed in a suspected militant attack on Makui Ashang village in Kangpokpi district on Saturday, was brought to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal for a post-mortem on Sunday night. [2] A video purportedly showing Ajinbou’s head among heavily armed militants dressed in camouflage went viral on Saturday. [2] In a statement on Sunday, the Joint Tribes Council Manipur said, "The head of Ajinbou R remains missing. Post-mortem will not be conducted till his head is returned to his family members for a dignified burial. We will not allow state machinery to mutilate the remains further while his head is treated as a trophy by militants." [2] Holding state and Central governments directly responsible for the renewed violence, it said, "This heinous crime is an affront to humanity." [2] The council issued a "non-negotiable 48-hour ultimatum" to locate and return the severed head, failing which it warned of taking the "most stringent measures" to secure justice. [2] At least nine people were killed in separate firing incidents in Manipur’s Kamjong, Ukhrul and Kangpokpi districts on Friday and Saturday, triggering a fresh wave of violence in the state. [2] The violence began on Friday night when unidentified assailants shot dead a 22-year-old mother of five in Chassad village, a Kuki-dominated area in Naga-majority Kamjong district. [2] Her killing triggered an exchange of fire between Kuki and Naga armed groups that continued until Saturday morning. [2] Chief minister Y Khemchand Singh has condemned the killings and asked the authorities concerned to take immediate and "effective steps to control the situation, restore peace and order and ensure the safety and security of all citizens". [2] More than 50 people have been killed and dozens of houses torched in violence between Kuki and Naga tribes since February this year. [2]

Bandit Ambush Kills at Least 22 in Nigeria

At least 22 people are feared dead after bandits ambushed traders under Nigerian Army escort in Zamfara State's Bukkuyum area. [5] At least 22 people are feared dead after suspected bandits ambushed traders being escorted by Nigerian Army troops in Zamfara State. [5] The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday as the traders travelled from Gurusu to Gwashi in Bukkuyum Local Government Area to attend the weekly market in Gwashi. [5] A resident of the area, Malam Aminu Gwashi, who confirmed the incident, said several people, including security personnel, were reportedly killed in the attack. [5] He added that many others sustained injuries and were rushed to Bukkuyum General Hospital for medical attention. [5] Gwashi and Bukkuyum communities have suffered repeated bandit attacks in recent times, disrupting commercial and other economic activities in the area. [5] Efforts to obtain comments from the military were unsuccessful as the Information Officer of Operation Fansan Yamma, Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, did not respond to calls. [5] Similarly, the Information Officer of the 8 Division, Maj. Osoba Olaniyi, did not respond to calls seeking confirmation of the incident. [5] As of the time of filing this report, neither the Nigerian Army nor the Zamfara State Police Command had issued an official statement on the attack. [5]

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Renewed fighting in Tigray has undermined the 2022 peace agreement that ended a devastating two-year civil war while mounting tensions between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea have raised fears of a wider conflict. [4] The expanding battle fronts kept testing what observers thought they understood about war as repeated cycles of escalation and short-lived ceasefires continue. [1]