Violence Targeting Local Officials
2023 Annual Report

Around the world, local authorities are an integral component of state governance. They perform several functions, including representing the state across a country’s territory, administering budgets, and overseeing security forces. Either appointed from the center or selected through elections, they contribute to conferring legitimacy to state institutions and reinforcing the bond with the citizenry. In virtue of their role, local government officials are frequent victims of violence and intimidation.

ACLED’s 2023 Annual Report on violence against local officials reveals the global reach of this phenomenon. In 2023, close to 2,500 attacks against local government officials were reported in 94 countries around the world. Among those attacked are governors, mayors, village heads, local councilors, local government or election workers, and other officials who are exposed to the use or threat of violence by organized groups and crowds.

Through this report, ACLED seeks to shed light on this worldwide phenomenon, highlighting not just the distinctive character of each context, but the many points that are shared across different regions and countries. These findings presented in this report ultimately call for a collective discussion on the role and safety of local officials, which may produce a deeper understanding of the drivers of the violence and encourage the sharing of best practices.