Oslo
The year 2023 will see more armed conflicts around the world than at any time since the end of World War II, according to a Norwegian study released on Monday.
According to the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), there were 59 conflicts last year, 28 of which were in Africa.
However, the number of countries experiencing conflict fell to 34 from 39 in 2022.
The number of people killed in combat also halved from a year ago to about 122,000, according to data collected by Sweden's Uppsala University from NGOs and international organisations.
Still, the figure was the third highest since 1989, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
“Global violence is at its highest level since the end of the Cold War,” said Siri Aas Rustad, a PRIO researcher and lead author of the report, which looked at trends from 1946 to 2023.
“The figures reflect an increasingly complex conflict situation, with more parties operating within the same country,” she explained.
According to PRIO, the increase in the number of conflicts is due in part to ISIL's spread across Asia, Africa and the Middle East and increased involvement of non-state actors.
“These developments are making it increasingly difficult for aid agencies, civil society organisations and other actors to navigate conflict situations and improve the lives of civilians,” Rustad said.
Although the number of deaths from fighting decreased last year, the cumulative total over the past three years was the highest in the past 30 years.
A total of 28 armed conflicts were recorded in Africa, followed by Asia with 17, the Middle East with 10, Europe with three and the Americas with one.
