A Norwegian study published this Monday indicates that the world will register in 2023 the highest number of armed conflicts since 1946although the number of countries affected by these conflicts is decreasing.
Last year there were 59 conflicts around the world28 of which are in Africa, according to a study by the Oslo Peace Research Institute (PRIO). Despite the number of conflicts, the number of countries involved decreasedrising from 39 in 2022 to 34 in 2023.
The number of deaths in combat also decreases by half, around 122 thousand deaths, according to data collected by the Swedish University of Uppsala, together with international and non-governmental organizations.
The number of deaths, also a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, remains the third highest since 1989.
“Violence in the world has never been high since the end of the Cold War”, highlights PRIO researcher and main author of the study, Siri Aas Rustad, who analyzes trends in the period 1946-2023. Although the number of combat deaths decreased in 2023, the aggregate value in the last three years is the highest in the last three decades.
After Africa, the regions in the world most affected by armed conflicts were Asia (17), the Middle East (10), Europe (three) and the Americas (one).
According to the researcher, the study’s numbers “suggest that the conflict situation has become more complex, with a greater number of belligerents active within the same country“.
The study justifies the increase in the number of conflicts, in part, with the expansion of the jihadist group Islamic State in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as well as the involvement of a growing number of non-governmental actors. state-owned companies, such as jihadists and armed militias.
“This growth makes it increasingly difficult for actors such as humanitarian groups and civil society organizations to improve people’s lives”affirmed Siri Aas Rustad.
