Conflict Trends in Africa, 1989–2018

Policy brief

Rustad, Siri Aas & Ingrid Vik Bakken (2019) Conflict Trends in Africa, 1989–2018, Conflict Trends, 6. Oslo: PRIO.

In 2018, Africa experienced an increase in civil wars from 18 in 2017 to 21: this is the highest number of civil conflicts since 1946 – with 21 also recorded in 2015 and 2016. Further, there has been an increase in countries with conflict on their territory. On the other hand, the number of battle-related deaths in civil wars is lower than it has been since 2012, with approximately 6,700 people killed. While non-state conflict in Africa has been on the rise over the past five years, this trend stabilized in 2018; for the first time in ten years, the number of non-state conflicts did not increase. What should we make of these seemingly contradictory trends?

Read the report, Conflict Trends in Africa, 1989–2018: An Update

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