Portal:Current events/2025 February 1

February 1, 2025 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War against the Islamic State
- War in Somalia
  - Al-Shabaab insurgency in Somalia
    - At least 50 combatants are killed after fighting between Al-Shabaab and the Somali National Army and allied Ma'awisley militias in the Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions of Hirshabelle state, Somalia. (Idil News) (Mepa News)
  - American military intervention in Somalia, Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
    - U.S. President Donald Trump orders the military to carry out airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Somalia, targeting a series of cave systems used by the group. (Idil News) (Garowe Online) (BBC News)
    - This airstrike is later confirmed to have killed ISIS leader Ahmed Maeleminine, a key recruiter and financier for the militant group. (Garowe Online) (FTL Somalia) (Horseed Media)
Sudanese civil war
- Battle of Khartoum
  - 2025 Omdurman market attack
    - At least 56 people are killed and 158 others are injured by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelling on the Sabrein Market in Omdurman, Khartoum State, Sudan. (Arab News Pakistan) (LBC Group)
  - The RSF are accused of stealing ambulances, food supplies, and other civilian equipment in Khartoum. (Middle East Monitor)
Gaza war
- 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, Gaza war hostage crisis
  - Hamas releases three Israeli hostages, including Yarden Bibas. At the same time, Israel releases 183 Palestinian prisoners, seven of which were transferred to Egypt prior to their deportation. (AP)
- The Rafah Border Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt is reopened for the first time since Israel captured it nearly nine months ago during the Rafah offensive. (AP)
Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
  - A Russian missile strike on a residential building in Poltava, Ukraine, reportedly kills at least fourteen people and injures at least 17 others. A separate strike kills three police officers in Sumy Oblast. (Reuters)
Syrian civil war
- Western Syria clashes
  - Gunmen kill ten people in the Alawite village of Arzah in Hama Governorate, Syria. (Al Arabiya)
Insurgency in Balochistan
- Eighteen Pakistani paramilitary troops and 24 Baloch separatists are killed in clashes in Balochistan, Pakistan. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Second Trump tariffs
- Canada–United States relations, Mexico–United States relations, 2025 United States–Canada–Mexico trade war
  - United States President Donald Trump signs an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico. (NBC News)
  - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces a retaliatory 25% tariff on all U.S. goods following Trump's recent executive order. (NBC News)
  - In Canada, British Columbia Premier David Eby announces a ban on imports of alcoholic beverages from "red U.S. states". Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston announces that the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation will remove all U.S. alcohol from its stores starting Tuesday. (CBC News) (CBC News)
  - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announces a Plan B, which includes potential tariff measures to defend Mexico's interests in response to Trump's tariffs on the country. (CNN México)
- China–United States relations, China–United States trade war
  - U.S. President Donald Trump announces 10% tariffs on goods imported from China. China vows to take the matter to the World Trade Organization. (NBC News) (Financial Post)

Disasters and accidents

A fire at a retirement home in Bouffémont, Val-d'Oise, France, kills three people and leaves nine others injured. (AP)

Law and crime

In Kyrgyzstan, the ban on the Islamic niqāb takes effect, with women facing a fine of 20,000 som ($230 USD) if they wear it in public places. (RFE/RL)