Why Congo’s Vast Army Is Struggling to Fight M23
The latest conflict in eastern Congo has exposed endemic weaknesses in the country’s military, long known for corruption, extortion and abuse.
Kurdish Insurgent Group Declares Cease-Fire in Conflict With Turkey
The group, the P.K.K., made its declaration days after its long-imprisoned leader urged the movement to disarm and disband, but there are still many questions about the prospects for ending…
Who Is the P.K.K. Leader Abdullah Ocalan?
The founder of the P.K.K., a guerrilla organization that has been fighting an insurgency against Turkey for decades, has called for his group to disarm and disband.
What to Know About the Turkey-P.K.K. Conflict
The fighting has taken more than 40,000 lives over the past four decades. The group’s leader is now calling for its fighters to put down their arms.
Al-Assad Becomes a Punchline in Syria’s Comedy Scene
Comics had already been trying to foster stand-up in Syria before Bashar al-Assad’s fall. Now, they are telling jokes in a liberated country, while warily eyeing the new government.
Talks on Syria’s Future Fall Short of Promises, Participants Say
The country’s new leaders had billed a two-day “national dialogue” in Damascus as the start of a process to build an inclusive government. But some who attended came away disappointed.
Israel Strikes Syria Hours After Country’s Leader Demands Withdrawal
The attacks in southern Syria are part of a new policy aimed at protecting what Israel calls its “security zone” in the region. Syria’s new government has condemned that policy.
Ahmed al-Shara: The Evolution of Syria’s New Leader
Ahmed al-Shara’s unlikely path from membership in Al Qaeda to head of state has raised questions about how he intends to govern Syria.
Hamas Official Expresses Reservations About Oct. 7 Attack on Israel
Mousa Abu Marzouk, the head of Hamas’s foreign relations office, said he would not have supported such an attack on Israel had he known of the devastation it would wreak…
Amid Regional Diplomatic Furor, Sudan’s Paramilitaries Forge a Rival Government
The Rapid Support Forces said it was paving the way to an end to the civil war. Critics called it an audacious gambit by a group that the United States…