In 2023, the world will witness the largest number of armed conflicts since 1946, but the number of countries that suffered from these conflicts has decreased, according to a Norwegian study published on Monday.
A report published by the Oslo Peace Research Institute (PRIO) stated that last year, 59 conflicts were recorded in the world, almost half of them (28) in Africa.
But the number of countries experiencing conflicts decreased from 39 in 2022 to 34, and the number of deaths due to fighting decreased by half (about 122 thousand), according to data collected by Sweden’s Uppsala University from international organizations and non-governmental organizations.
This number is the third highest since 1989.
"Violence in the world has never been this high since the end of the Cold War," said Siri As Rustad, a researcher at BRIO and the lead co-author of the report, which covers the period between 1946 and 2023.
She stressed that "the numbers indicate that the conflict arena has become more complex, with a greater number of warring parties involved in the same country."
The increase in the number of conflicts is due in part to "ISIS, which has spread across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and to the participation of an increasing number of non-government parties, such as the group to support Islam and Muslims, which is linked to Al-Qaeda," according to the institute.
“This development makes it more difficult for actors such as humanitarian groups and civil society organizations to intervene and improve people’s lives,” Rustad noted.
While the number of deaths during battles decreased last year, the total number for the past three years is the highest in the past three decades.
After Africa, the regions in the world most affected by armed conflicts were Asia, followed by the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. According to the study.
Appalling!
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