World peace has been tested by the ongoing wars and conflicts. Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, and South Sudan are just a few countries on the list of chaos. To further complicate situations, regional heavyweights often side with different groups in these conflicts. Let's take a look at a list of major conflicts and flashpoints around the world.

 

In Syria, more than 400-thousand people have been killed and millions of others displaced since a civil war broke out in 2011. The country is trying to oust ISIL, but there is also no sign of respite in fighting between several groups -- government troops backed by Russia and Iran; rebel forces supported by Turkey, and Kurdish militants backed by a US-led coalition. Despite repeated efforts by various sides to broker a peace deal, ceasefires never lasted long.

 

Also fighting ISIL is the neighboring Iraq. Government troops -- under the support of a US-led coalition, Kurdish forces and Iran -- are inching towards remaining ISIL strongholds, but not before the extremist group had caused enormous destruction. With a victory over ISIL in sight, the Iraqi central government is facing a new challenge as Kurdish leaders seek a referendum for independence in the northern part of the country.

 

The Iraqi Kurdish referendum is also a cause for alarm for Turkish leaders. The last thing Ankara wants is a similar move by Turkish Kurds.  The Turkish government has been fighting the Kurdish Workers Party, or the PKK, for decades. At least 25-hundred people have been killed in clashes between the two sides since the collapse of a ceasefire in 2015.

 

In Yemen, more than 76-hundred people have been killed in the past two years, mostly in air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition that supports Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Hadi. Saudi Arabia weighted in in March 2015 to counter advances made by the Houthis. Riyadh believes the group is being backed by Tehran.

 

In South Sudan, over 50-thousand people have been killed and more than 1.6 million others displaced since a war broke out in 2013. A 2015 peace deal derailed last July after fighting broke out between government forces and former rebels in Juba. UN peacekeepers failed to protect civilians in the conflict.

 

In Afghanistan, the Taliban are regaining power despite the presence of nearly 9,000 US troops in the country. To make the situation worse, ISIL is seeking to secure a foothold in the country too. The US-led coalition has been training Afghan security forces to take over as the new shield of the country.

 

Over on the Korean Peninsula, the DPRK has been defiant in carrying out nuclear and missile tests, despite the UN Security Council stepping up its sanctions against it. The US has neglected repeated calls by Pyongyang for direct talks. Instead, President Donald Trump has been blaming other countries for their failure to curb the DPRK's weapons programs.