The nonprofit organisation, which tracks violent events and protests, documented nearly 200 000 incidents this year, marking a 25% rise compared to 2023.

Professor Clionadh Raleigh, President and Chief Executive Officer of ACLED, explained that the conflict index goes beyond counting events, focusing on the deadliness, danger, fragmentation, and geographical spread of conflicts. For instance, Palestine is both the most dangerous and widespread conflict, while Myanmar faces the highest number of non-state armed groups, with 170 recorded each week. Ukraine remains the deadliest conflict zone.

In 2024, countries such as Palestine, Myanmar, Syria, and Mexico recorded the sharpest increases in violence. Mexico, along with Brazil and Colombia, saw a surge in gang and cartel activity, while Palestine’s ongoing conflict with Israel continues to escalate. Syria, now over a decade into its civil war, remains one of the world’s most extreme conflicts.

In Africa, countries like Sudan, Nigeria, and Cameroon are prominent on the conflict index. Sudan’s ongoing civil conflict has drawn significant global attention, while Nigeria faces multiple, often unrelated, conflicts. In Cameroon, the decade-long unrest driven by separatist groups continues to fuel violence.

The report also highlights a rise in political violence during election years, with countries holding elections in 2024 seeing a 63% increase in national political violence, compared to 21% in countries without elections.

--ChannelAfrica--