Executive Summary

It's Friday, January 30th.On the 29th, over 110 killed across 11 countries as Niger airport assault, massive Ukraine combat, and Pakistan counter-terror operations dominated the global security landscape. The deadliest incidents occurred in Africa's Sahel region, where jihadist militants launched a brazen overnight attack on Niger's main international airport, and in Pakistan, where security forces killed 52 militants in coordinated operations across multiple provinces. Meanwhile, Russia's war on Ukraine continued with 268 combat clashes along the 1,000-kilometer front line, while Gaza violence persisted and Sudan's civil war escalated with drone strikes on Dilling.

Israeli operations in Gaza kill four Palestinians

Israeli military operations in Gaza killed 4 Palestinians on January 29 despite the October ceasefire framework. In Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Israeli gunfire killed 2 Palestinians outside the Israeli-occupied "yellow line" zone, with mourners burying the bodies the same day. Near Makki roundabout in Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza, Israeli forces targeted a group of Palestinian civilians, killing 2 and wounding dozens according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and Wafa news agency.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reports 490+ Palestinians killed since the October ceasefire began, indicating systematic violations. Israel announced plans to reopen the Rafah crossing with enhanced security controls, while returning 15 Palestinian bodies to the Red Cross as part of ongoing prisoner exchange protocols.

European Union designates Iran's Revolutionary Guard as terrorist organization

The European Union designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization on January 29, citing the violent crackdown on domestic protests and military support for Russia. This designation coincides with escalating U.S.-Iran tensions as President Trump warned Iran "time is running out" for a nuclear deal. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group positioned in the Arabian Sea with 5,000+ troops. Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi warned the military stands "ready with fingers on the trigger."

Regional flashpoints: Sudan, Syria, Lebanon

The Rapid Support Forces conducted suicide drone strikes on Dilling, South Kordofan State, targeting the Sudanese army's 54th Brigade headquarters and a central market one day after the SAF announced breaking the RSF's two-year siege. Casualties described as "dozens killed" with multiple injuries. Ongoing violence in North Darfur's Kernoi locality has killed 114+ people and displaced 8,000 in the preceding week.

The Syrian transitional government conducted 7 drone airstrikes on Syrian Democratic Forces positions in Al-Hasakah Governorate's al-Qahtaniyah countryside, escalating the domestic conflict. Separately, Israeli forces fired mortar shells at agricultural lands near Jabata al-Khashab in Quneitra, along the Golan Heights boundary. Israeli forces conducted 2 airstrikes between Ansar and Al-Zarariyeh villages in Lebanon, north of the Litani River—a continued pattern of ceasefire violations with columns of smoke and flames reported.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Palestinian Health Ministry, Wafa news agency, Reuters, Associated Press, Fox News, Democracy Now, UN Human Rights Commission

Russia's war continues with 268 combat clashes across the front

Combat intensity remained extreme across Ukraine's 1,000-kilometer front, with the Ukrainian General Staff reporting 268 separate combat engagements on January 29. Russian forces employed 2,583 kamikaze drones, 69 guided aerial bombs, and 25 air strikes, supplemented by 2,684 artillery shellings of Ukrainian positions and settlements. The Pokrovsk direction saw the heaviest fighting with 83 Russian attacks, followed by Huliaipole with 41 attacks, Oleksandrivka with 23, and Konstantinivka with 17.

Ukrainian forces claim to have killed 129 Russian soldiers and wounded 47 in the Pokrovsk sector alone. Russia's Ministry of Defense asserted Ukrainian losses totaled approximately 1,125 troops in 24 hours—figures that cannot be independently verified. Russian forces claimed capture of Bila Bereza village in Sumy region, extending territorial control near the international border.

Russian drone strikes kill four Ukrainian civilians

Russian overnight drone strikes on residential areas caused confirmed civilian casualties on January 29. In Vilniansk, Zaporizhzhia Region, 3 were killed—two women ages 26 and 50, one man age 62—and 1-3 injured when drones struck private homes. In Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Region, 1 elderly woman was killed and 3 injured in residential strikes. Zaporizhzhia Region industrial infrastructure was struck, causing fires. Russia left over 307,000 people without power following strikes on northern Ukrainian infrastructure.

Humanitarian body exchange marks first since November 2025

Russia and Ukraine conducted their first body exchange since November 2025 on January 29. Russia returned remains of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers while Ukraine returned 38 Russian soldiers' remains. The exchange represents a continuation of humanitarian protocols amid the ongoing war, though combat operations continue unabated along the entire front line.

Sources: Ukrainian General Staff, Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrinform, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Associated Press, Global Security

Extensive searches across Honduras, Mexico, Haiti, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, and Ecuador confirmed no armed conflict incidents with documented casualties occurred specifically on January 29, 2026 in the Americas. The region's ongoing crises—Haiti's gang violence with 8,100 killed in 2025 and 90 percent of Port-au-Prince under gang control, Colombia's ELN offensive in Catatumbo that killed 80+ in mid-January, and Mexico's cartel warfare—produced no verified single-day events on this date.

The UN Security Council unanimously extended BINUH's Haiti mandate through January 2027 on January 29, condemning gang violence including sexual violence and human trafficking. Doctors Without Borders released a report documenting the tripling of sexual violence cases in Port-au-Prince over four years, with gangs controlling territorial expansion through systematic rape and displacement.

Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, UN Security Council, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), WLRN, regional media outlets

Jihadist militants assault Niger's main international airport

Armed militants launched a coordinated assault on Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, targeting Niger Air Force Base 101 shortly after midnight on January 29. The attack employed heavy gunfire, suicide drones, mortars, and explosions in an operation lasting 30-120 minutes before Nigerien forces—assisted by Russian military advisors—repelled the assault. Niger's Defense Ministry confirmed 20 attackers killed and 11 captured, with 4 Nigerien soldiers wounded. One Air Côte d'Ivoire aircraft sustained damage on the tarmac.

State television claimed one attacker was a French national, though this remains unverified. The assault bears hallmarks of JNIM, the al-Qaeda affiliate dominating Sahel terrorism, though no formal claim emerged. Niger's ruling junta immediately accused France, Benin, and Ivory Coast of sponsoring the assault while publicly thanking "Russian partners" for helping repel it. The incident occurred as Niger—alongside Mali and Burkina Faso—formally withdrew from ECOWAS on January 29, deepening the rift between the Alliance of Sahel States and Western-aligned regional bodies.

Sources: Niger Defense Ministry, Reuters, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, BBC, regional security analysts, GBC Ghana

Myanmar junta airstrikes kill five resistance fighters

Myanmar's military conducted airstrikes on Hman Hae Village in Sagaing Region's Indaw Township on January 29, killing 5 People's Defense Force resistance fighters and injuring 2 civilians. The strikes occurred as election results confirmed the military-backed USDP's overwhelming victory with 232 of 263 lower house seats. The civil war continues unabated with 3.5 million displaced despite ongoing sham elections condemned by international observers.

ASEAN commits to South China Sea code of conduct

ASEAN Foreign Ministers convened in Cebu, Philippines on January 29, with the Philippines—as 2026 chair—committing to conclude South China Sea Code of Conduct negotiations with China. The bloc faces criticism for inability to address Myanmar's crisis or counter Chinese maritime expansion in disputed waters. No armed incidents occurred in the Taiwan Strait or South China Sea on January 29, though regional tensions remain elevated following North Korea's January 27 ballistic missile test.

Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, RAPPLER, Al Jazeera, Nikkei Asia, regional monitoring groups

Pakistan eliminates 52 militants in coordinated operations

Pakistani security forces executed five major counter-terrorism operations across Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab provinces on January 29, killing 52 militants as part of the ongoing "Azm-e-Istehkam" campaign against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and affiliated groups. The largest operation in Harnai District, Balochistan killed 30 terrorists at a militant hideout, with ISPR reporting recovery of substantial weapons and explosives.

A second Balochistan raid in Panjgur District eliminated 11 militants belonging to what Pakistan labels "Fitna-al-Hindustan"—an alleged India-sponsored group—recovering cash linked to a December 2025 bank robbery. Three additional operations proved deadly: Bannu District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw a joint CTD-police operation kill 5 TTP militants and wound 7 who were planning an attack on a police convoy; Mianwali District, Punjab witnessed CTD teams kill 6 terrorists near Chapri Dam, recovering a suicide vest, grenades, and automatic weapons; South Waziristan militants attacked a checkpoint under construction, injuring 2 laborers and abducting 4 workers from Dera Ismail Khan.

Sources: Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan Today, Minute Mirror, Global Security, regional media outlets

Doomsday Clock set to 85 seconds to midnight

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight on January 29—the closest to apocalypse in the clock's history—citing nuclear tensions, ongoing conflicts, and climate threats. The symbolic clock represents how close humanity is to global catastrophe, with the 5-second advancement from 2025 reflecting increased nuclear risks from Ukraine war escalation, U.S.-Iran tensions, and proliferation concerns.

Sources: Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Associated Press, Reuters