On 3 April, dozens of Israeli armoured vehicles advanced into Daraa Governorate, prompting armed clashes with the local residents in Nawa City, Tasil and other towns in western Daraa. At least nine people were killed. This incursion followed Israeli airstrikes on several targets on 2 April, including a scientific research centre in the Barzeh District of Damascus, and the Hama Military Airport in Hama City. In the Hama attacks, four people were killed and dozens of military personnel were injured, and the military airport was closed. Although Israeli forces soon withdrew from the towns in western Daraa, this limited incursion highlights Israel’s continued intent to weaken the military capabilities of the new Syrian government under President Ahmad Al Sharaa, and efforts to prevent Syrian forces from establishing a presence in shared border areas.
On 10 May, India and Pakistan agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire following four days of clashes involving airstrikes, missile strikes, drone attacks, and artillery shelling. The attacks, which struck urban centres, military facilities, and areas along the contested Kashmir region, killed dozens of civilians, military personnel, and suspected militants, and left many others injured. The escalation began with India’s launch of ‘Operation Sindoor’ on 7 May – a series of coordinated missile and drone strikes on nine targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. India described the operation as retaliation for the 22 April terror attack in Pahalgam, India-administered Kashmir, in which 26 civilians, primarily Hindu tourists, were killed by militants from The Resistance Front, a Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot allegedly backed by Pakistan. Although the ceasefire is holding as of 12 May despite some accusations of violations by both sides initially and neither government has signalled an intent to escalate further, tensions remain high. Both countries have reopened their airports after several days of disruptions.
On 19 April, authorities announced that police had arrested 178 people in connection with a string of mob attacks on US fast food restaurants over the week prior. Anti-US protesters had vandalised at least 20 fast food outlets in the cities of Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad to denounce the US’s support for Israel amid the conflict in Gaza. Two stores in Karachi were set on fire. In one incident on 14 April, a restaurant employee was shot and killed in Sheikhupura, Punjab Province, although his death was likely accidental. Western brands have been targeted in numerous protests and boycotts since the conflict in Gaza began in October 2023. No single political group was responsible for these latest acts of vandalism, although several members of the Islamist party, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), were detained in the subsequent police operation.
On 4 April, tens of thousands of people protested in Seoul, with demonstrators both supporting and opposing impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, during the announcement of the constitutional court’s verdict to remove Yoon from the presidency. Daily mass demonstrations became a common occurrence in Seoul after Yoon declared martial law in December 2024, a decision that prompted his impeachment and subsequent trial on charges of inciting an insurrection. In response to the demonstrations on 4 April, authorities strengthened security measures across the city, deploying 14,000 riot police, and barricading roads around the constitutional court. Most major tourist attractions and businesses near the courts were closed for the day. Protests have largely diminished since the constitutional court verdict. However, broader political divisions have deepened in South Korea, and further demonstrations are likely, particularly leading up to and following the presidential election scheduled for 3 June.
On 12 March, retirees and other civil society activists demonstrated outside the Congreso de la Nación in Buenos Aires to denounce President Javier Milei’s economic reforms, including a pension reform law passed in 2024. Police clashed with protesters who attempted to breach the building, arresting around 90 people, while 15 others were injured. Milei’s controversial economic reforms have prompted widespread strikes and demonstrations since he took office in December 2023. While the country’s poverty rate dropped to 38.1 percent in the second half of 2024, from 52.9 percent in the first half of the year, economists and demonstrators have cautioned that the figure fails to reflect the reality of ordinary Argentinians struggling to cope with the austerity measures.
On 17 April, unidentified militants detonated an explosive device outside a hotel in La Plata, Huila Department, killing two people and injuring 24 others. Separately, militants used explosive devices to attack a police station in Mondomo, Cauca Department, killing one person. Local authorities believe that Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) rebels were responsible. These attacks came after the government suspended a ceasefire with a rebel faction of FARC, which had been in effect since December 2023. Further attacks are likely in the coming months despite ongoing peace talks with multiple FARC factions.
On 19 April, thousands of anti-government activists demonstrated in cities across the country to denounce the proposals and policies of President Donald Trump’s administration. The protest formed part of the ongoing 50501 Movement, which refers to 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement. In Washington, DC, activists rallied outside the White House, and in New York City, protesters marched from the New York Public Library toward Central Park in midtown Manhattan. Similar demonstrations took place in Denver, Colorado and Portland, Oregon. Further protests are likely in the coming months.
In late March, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) drove the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) out of most of Khartoum, retaking key sites including the Presidential Palace and Khartoum International Airport, which had been under RSF control since the conflict began in April 2023. The SAF has made a series of territorial gains in recent months, reclaiming towns and cities across central and southern Sudan, including in Khartoum, White Nile, North Kordofan, Sennar, and Al Jazirah states. Although the RSF has faced internal divisions and is now largely on the defensive, it remains deeply entrenched in Darfur, suggesting the conflict will persist for the foreseeable future.
On 31 March, thousands of anti-government activists staged a strike to denounce perceived government corruption, economic struggles, and the proposed extension of Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) leader and President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term to 2030, two years past the constitutional limit. The strike was called by former senior ZANU-PF member Blessed Geza, who has emerged as a representative for ZANU-PF’s anti-Mnangagwa faction. In the weeks preceding the strike, Mnangagwa replaced several senior officials – including the Commissioner General of Police and the Commander of the National Army – with loyalists from his faction and dismissed other party members suspected of plotting to oust him in favour of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.
In late March and early April, Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians protested in Yerevan against the government’s plans to reduce financial aid for ethnic Armenians displaced by Azerbaijan’s 2023 offensive, which led to the full capture of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. Activists held a week-long sit-in at Freedom Square, while sporadic demonstrations took place outside various government buildings. Human rights groups have since accused certain Armenian politicians and affiliated media outlets of using hate speech against Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians. With more than 100,000 refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh having entered Armenia since the offensive, ongoing challenges around their integration will likely manifest as further protests in the coming months.
In April, tens of thousands of activists demonstrated in Budapest against a new law banning LGBTQ+ Pride events and restricting the right to assembly. On 12 April, for example, over 10,000 anti-government protesters marched through the city and rallied at Hősök tere (Heroes' Square). Meanwhile, thousands of opposition supporters have also staged additional protests in recent weeks in support of the Tisza (Respect and Freedom) party, led by Péter Magyar, who, according to recent polls, poses the most significant challenge to President Viktor Orbán since he came to power in 2010. Further demonstrations over social and economic issues by both pro- and anti-government activists are likely in the coming months ahead of the 2026 general election.
In early April, several prisons and prison officers were attacked in a series of arson and vandalism incidents countrywide. Unidentified assailants set fire to several cars outside prisons in Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Luynes, Valence, Nîmes and Paris, in addition to shooting at the entrance of a prison in Toulon with an automatic weapon. The attacks have been linked to both drug trafficking syndicates and Droit des Prisonniers Français (Rights of French Prisoners, DDPF), a loosely organised activist group which emerged online on 12 April and accused the authorities of violating prisoners’ human rights. DDPF-related tags were left at multiple attacked locations; however, the group has not claimed responsibility and has denounced allegations of terrorism.