Sudan Crisis: RSF Captures Key Oilfield, Israel Reopens Gaza Border Amidst Tensions – 12/10/2025, 8:29:37 AM

Here are key world news developments in early December 2025:

• Sudan – major gains by RSF and severe civilian toll
  • The Rapid Support Forces say they have captured Babanusa, the last Sudanese Armed Forces stronghold in West Kordofan.[2]
  • RSF also capture Heglig, Sudan’s largest oilfield, after army forces withdraw.[2]
  • Around 50 people, including 33 children, are killed when RSF strike a kindergarten in South Kordofan.[2]
• Gaza and Israel–Hezbollah front
  • Israel says it will reopen the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, allowing some Palestinians to leave Gaza despite the ongoing blockade.[2]
  • Israeli drone strikes near Khan Younis kill five Palestinians, including two children.[2]
  • The Israeli army reports four soldiers wounded in a Hamas attack in Rafah.[2]
  • Separately, Israel launches a wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon, reportedly targeting Hezbollah sites.[2]
• DR Congo–Rwanda peace deal
  • Presidents Félix Tshisekedi (DRC) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda) sign a formal peace agreement in Washington, D.C., hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, aimed at easing the long‑running conflict between the two countries.[2]
• Haiti – expanding gang control
  • Gangs launch a large-scale offensive in the Ouest and Artibonite departments, forcing hundreds to flee; police say gangs now control about 50% of Artibonite, including Pont-Sondé.[2]
• Colombia – steps toward demobilizing Clan del Golfo
  • The government and Clan del Golfo agree in Doha that fighters will begin assembling in three designated zones in Chocó and Córdoba from March 1, with arrest and extradition orders suspended during the process and extra municipalities designated for pilot peace programs.[2]
• Afghanistan–Pakistan border clash
  • A shootout between Pakistani and Afghan soldiers at the border leaves five civilians dead and eight injured.[2]
• Mexico – suspected terror bombing
  • At least five people are killed and 12 injured in a suspected car bombing outside a police station in Coahuayana, Michoacán.[2]
• Nigeria – mass kidnapping update
  • Authorities secure the release of 100 of 315 abducted students and staff in the Papiri kidnapping in Niger State, while more than 160 remain missing.[2]
• Ecuador – prison violence linked to gangs
  • Thirteen suspected members of the Los Lobos gang are killed in a prison riot following two explosions in Machala, El Oro Province.[2]
• Guinea‑Bissau – political crisis and asylum
  • Nigeria grants asylum to Guinea‑Bissau opposition leader and presidential candidate Fernando Dias da Costa at its embassy in Bissau, to protect him from detention by the military junta.[2]
• Canada–EU defense cooperation
  • Canada agrees to join the EU’s Security Action for Europe initiative, giving Canadian defense firms greater access to EU markets and encouraging European defense investment in Canada.[2]
• U.S. war on drugs – naval strike
  • The U.S. Navy attacks a boat in the Pacific Ocean, allegedly carrying illegal narcotics, killing four people on board, according to U.S. Southern Command.[2]
• Honduras–U.S. relations – controversial pardon
  • Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández is released from a U.S. prison after President Trump pardons his conviction for aiding large‑scale cocaine trafficking.[2]
• Thailand–Vietnam – human rights concerns
  • Thailand extradites Vietnamese activist Y Quynh Bđăp, founder of a minority rights organization, prompting concern from human rights groups.[2]
• MH370 compensation ruling in China
  • A court in Beijing orders Malaysia Airlines to pay about CN¥2.9 million (US$410,000) to families of eight missing MH370 passengers.[2]
• Spain – Kuzminov killing case closed
  • A court in Villajoyosa, Spain, provisionally closes the investigation into the killing of Russian defector Maxim Kuzminov after failing to identify perpetrators.[2]
• Sports – inaugural Women’s Futsal World Cup
  • Brazil wins the first ever FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup, defeating Portugal 3–0 in the final in Metro Manila, Philippines; player Emilly receives the Golden Ball.[2]