The definition of war is a conflict that results in at least 1000 deaths in a year. Taking this into account, the world is now experiencing the largest quantity of these conflicts since 1946.
The number of armed conflicts in which several states have become involved rose to 59 in the last year.
In 2023, there were nine wars; one more than the previous year and the highest figure since 2017.
The data comes from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) at Uppsala University in Sweden, which highlights other previous peaks recorded in 2020 and 2022, each with 56 conflicts.
This research shows that, additionally, 2023 was one of the bloodiest years since the UCDP began compiling data on deaths during conflicts in 1989, with 154,000 fatalities involved in military events. There were nine wars in 2023, one more than the previous year and the highest figure since 2017, details the study.
The majority of these conflicts occur in Africa and there are alarming effects from the civil war in Sudan, considered the deadliest of the year, beyond those in Ukraine and those of Israel in Palestine.
The plan warns of drastic consequences for civilians and details that thousands of people have been victims of this type of violence in conflicts in Sudan, Burkina Faso, Israel and Myanmar, among others.
“For the ninth consecutive year, IS, also known as Daesh, was the group that killed the most civilians in one-sided violence…The group was active in 16 different countries where they carried out various acts such as shootings, beheadings and large coordinated suicide bombings,” says the investigation by the Swedish university. It also warns that violence between gangs has gained ground in recent months and in countries like France and Sweden itself, these conflicts have had drastic consequences.
“Many of the patterns that characterise gang violence in the UCDP statistics can also be observed in Sweden, such as waves of violence triggered by splits and alliances, and the occurrence of increasingly younger perpetrators”, states the text of the UCDP.
The majority of non-state conflicts take place in Latin America, of which the bloodiest ones have occurred in Mexico and Brazil, associated with violence in cities and on drug trafficking routes. PL
(Translated by Donna Davison. Email: donna_davison@hotmail.com) – Photos: Pixabay
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