Conflict Barometer 2020: Disputes, Non-Violent Crises, Violent Crises, Limited Wars, Wars

With the 29th edition of the Conflict Barometer, the HIIK continues its annual series of reports covering political conflicts worldwide. The global political conflict panorama in 2020 was marked by a rise in the number of wars and violent crises. The overall number of wars increased significantly from 15 to 21, while the number of limited wars decreased by two. The increase in wars was driven by developments in Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. In Europe, two conflicts escalated to fullscale wars, while in Sub-Saharan Africa six ongoing wars continued and another five violent conflicts escalated to the level of war, making it the region with the highest number of conflicts on war-level in 2020. DR Congo and Ethiopia alone accounted for five full-scale wars. Meanwhile, in Asia and Oceania, the Americas, as well as West Asia, North Africa, and Afghanistan (WANA), the number of wars remained constant or declined slightly. However, wars for example in Brazil, Libya, Syria, and Yemen continued. As in previous years, violent intrastate crises such as the opposition conflicts in Venezuela or Nicaragua continued to represent the most common conflict type and shaped the global conflict landscape. Finally, peace initiatives, for instance in Libya or in Afghanistan, aimed to pave the way for more peaceful future relations.