Conflict Trends in Africa, 1989–2019

Africa has seen some of the deadliest conflicts in history. Since the early 2000s, however, battle-related deaths in the region have remained relatively low and stable. While the number of state-based conflicts in Africa reached a record high in 2019, these conflicts are mostly of a low intensity. Nevertheless, Africa exhibits worrisome trends in the increasing number of non-state conflicts and conflicts involving the Islamic State. In this policy brief, we describe conflict trends in Africa between 1989 and 2019. We also present novel data on peacekeeping operations in the region.