Reports

Restrictions on women and the media in Afghanistan are well documented, but how they are enforced is less understood. Drawing on Afghan Witness monitoring from January 2022 to April 2026, this report examines how nationally issued restrictions are implemented in practice, and finds that variation across provinces and institutions reflects the structure of Taliban governance rather than inconsistent policy.

On 8 July 2026, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) captured Al Kurmuk in Sudan's Blue Nile state, around one kilometre from the Ethiopian border. CIR verified six videos of SAF fighters in the town, part of a wider pattern of SAF movements documented across the state between 28 May and 8 July 2026. CIR also identified hate speech from Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanders threatening SAF, the Joint Forces and specific tribal communities.

Drawing on open-source evidence gathered since late 2024, CIR has documented Israeli forces’ actions at refugee camps in the northern West Bank, such as demolishing homes to widen roads for armoured vehicles and occupying residential buildings as fortified positions.

In February 2024, Myanmar's military authorities activated the People's Military Service Law, giving them a legal basis to conscript men and women of eligible age into a conflict the military has struggled to sustain. In practice, much of this recruitment appears to be carried out through detention, coercion and disappearance rather than formal call-up, and often without notice to families.

Afghan Witness has investigated the arrest of women in Herat by Taliban moral enforcement officials in June 2026, analysing the protests and security response that followed, shifts in Taliban messaging, and the spread of AI-generated content that distorted the information environment around the events.

Myanmar Witness has investigated seven reported Myanmar Air Force airstrikes on sites holding captured military personnel across Rakhine, Shan, and Kayah states between October 2024 and March 2026. Verified footage and satellite imagery show shackled detainees, barred cells, and damage consistent with aerial attacks, with more than 200 people killed or injured across the seven incidents.

CIR has documented the burning of civilian infrastructure across Kauda, South Kordofan, and at least five surrounding settlements between 2 and 16 May 2026, corroborated by satellite imagery, geolocated footage, and witness testimony.

On the eve of Thingyan, Myanmar's most significant Buddhist festival, a reported airstrike struck the Mahasi Sasan Meditation Centre in Seik Khun village, Sagaing Region, killing two people and injuring eight others. Myanmar Witness geolocated damage to the monastery compound, analysed imagery consistent with an aerial blast, and documents the incident alongside a pattern of alleged military strikes across Myanmar during the religious holiday.

On 4 May 2026, strikes hit Khartoum. CIR geolocated three videos confirming a smoke plume north of the airport.

Strikes hit Asadabad, the capital of Afghanistan's Kunar province, on 27 April 2026, damaging a university, residential buildings, and a petrol station and leaving dozens of civilians killed or injured. Afghan Witness verified the damage, geolocated the incidents, and assessed the likely weapons used, amid contested attribution and no official Pakistani acknowledgement.

As the RSF continues its eastward advance through central Sudan, CIR has been tracking and verifying conflict activity across South Kordofan throughout March and April 2026. Using satellite data and verified footage, CIR documented evidence of conflict activity near civilian infrastructure in Dilling and Al Hamadi, including by a hospital, university, and major water reservoir.

Despite being sanctioned by the US, UK and EU, Russia's A7 network is expanding its reach in Africa, backed by the Kremlin. CIR's latest investigation suggests A7 is entering a new phase, more directly integrated into the Kremlin's strategic and military operations in Africa, and no longer operating purely as a commercial sanctions evasions network.