ACLED’s annual report on Violence Targeting Local Officials surveys more than 2,600 reported incidents of violence against governors, mayors, village heads, local councilors, local government or election workers, and other administrators in 96 countries around the world in 2024. Mexico, Myanmar, India, Nigeria, and the Philippines were the most dangerous countries for these officials, accounting for 45% of events worldwide.
Local officials play an essential role in all states, providing services to local populations and representing the citizens’ first point of access to the government. But these aspects that make these officials so important also put them in danger. They find themselves in the crosshairs of armed groups, organized crime, and political rivals who seek to undermine or co-opt state authority. The fact that they are the closest and most accessible part of the public administration means they are often the prized targets of mobs, vigilantes, and angered popular masses.
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