The world is currently experiencing a record number of conflicts and crises since the end of World War II.
Wars have been on the rise since about 2012, after a decline in the 1990s and early 2000s.
From the war in Gaza, which is hitting civilians particularly hard, to the fighting in Sudan, which has caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
The proportion of the world engulfed by conflict has grown 65 per cent over the past three years, according to the latest Conflict Intensity Index (CII), published by risk analyst Verisk Maplecroft.
“Conflict risks are increasing, they have for the last few years and global businesses need to think about that. You can look at international media and think: ‘I don’t have a factory in Sudan, it does not affect me,’ but because of the supply chain impacts, a conflict in a faraway place can impact you,” Hugo Brennan, research director at Verisk Maplecroft.
Gaza:
Gaza is currently the deadliest place for civilians in the world.
After the horrifying attacks of Hamas on October 7, Israel reacted with one of the most destructive military campaigns in history.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel on 7 October, with hundreds of gunmen infiltrating communities near the Gaza Strip.
About 1,200 people were killed, and more than 250 were taken to Gaza as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since the escalation of the conflict, over 42,000 people have died in the Gaza Strip and more than 99,000 others have been injured. Over 60 per cent of the casualties are civilians.
Some 1.9 million people have been forced to leave their homes, almost the entire population of Gaza. This conflict has escalated with severe impacts on civilians and involvement from regional players. The United States backs Israel, while Iran supports Hamas. This conflict has broader implications for the Middle East region.
Russia-Ukraine:
Two years have passed since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This conflict involves significant military operations and has resulted in a high number of casualties and widespread impact.
It's one of the largest conflicts in terms of international involvement and geopolitical implications. Attacks on civilians and infrastructure have intensified in the country, leaving 14.6 million in Ukraine still in need of humanitarian assistance.
A further 3.6 million people remain displaced in safer areas of the country.
Yemen:
The US and UK have been involved in the fight against Houthi rebels.
This conflict, though primarily a civil war within Yemen, has significant international involvement, especially from the Saudi-led coalition supported by the US and UK, and has caused a substantial humanitarian crisis.
Sudan:
Fighting between the Sudanese army (Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) caused an enormous humanitarian crisis.
Fighting broke out first in the capital Khartoum and quickly spread throughout the country.
More than 18 000 people have lost their lives and more than 33 000 others have been injured as a result of the fighting.
The conflict has quickly become one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Nearly half of the country’s population requires some form of humanitarian assistance, and the situation shows no signs of improving.
In fact, on March 20, 2024, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that the country will soon be the site of the world’s worst hunger crisis.
Myanmar:
Following the military coup, this conflict has intensified with various ethnic and political groups involved, causing significant regional instability and humanitarian concerns.
In late October 2023, a coalition of three ethnic armed groups in Shan State launched a coordinated offensive against the ruling military junta, posing the strongest challenge to its rule since the February 2021 coup.
Ethiopia:
With rebellions in different regions and rising tensions with Eritrea, this conflict has serious implications for the Horn of Africa region.
Armenia-Azerbaijan:
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has seen military escalations and significant displacement of people, affecting the stability of the South Caucasus region.
Following Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive and occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19, 2023, the ethnic Armenian enclave was officially dissolved on January 1, 2024.
Faced with the prospect of rule by Azerbaijan, more than one hundred thousand people, almost all of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population, fled to Armenia in one week.
Baku plans to “reintegrate” the region and its remaining population into Azerbaijan, promising economic development.
Sahel Region (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso):
The conflict involves coups and insurgencies with jihadist groups, significantly impacting the West African region.
Populations in the Central Sahel – Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger – are enduring armed conflict and inter-communal violence amidst a decade-long insurgency driven by armed Islamist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State Sahel Province.
These groups perpetrate recurrent abuses and escalating attacks against civilians that likely amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), over 12,000 people, most of whom were civilians, were killed in 2023.
At least 2.8 million people are internally displaced in the region, including more than 2.1 million in Burkina Faso alone. Violence has also taken place between rival ethnic militias and community-based self-defense groups resulting in reprisal attacks and countless abuses.
Haiti:
Across the Atlantic, Haiti has been rocked by gang violence. Although not a conventional war, the severity of gang violence and the potential for international intervention make this situation critical.
Gang attacks, extrajudicial killings, kidnappings, and gender-based violence have become part of the daily lives of Haitians, forcing locals to flee their homes.
Besides gangs, the activities of vigilante groups result in hundreds of lynchings. More than 165,000 people are internally displaced in Haiti due to gang violence, hindering aid efforts by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The country is facing additional pressure due to severe floods caused by torrential rains.
Mexico:
The Mexican drug war is an ongoing asymmetric armed conflict between the Mexican government and various drug trafficking syndicates.
The cartels and the drug trade fuel rampant corruption and violence in Mexico, contributing to tens of thousands of homicides in the country each year.
