Blog | ACLED - Part 170

Dynamic Conflicts and Static Promises: Shifting Advantage, the Political Marketplace and Broken Ceasefires

Africa, Civilians At Risk, Focus On Militias, Political Stability, Violence Against CiviliansBy Daniel Wigmore-Shepherd 13 March 2015

In the past half-decade, multiple peace agreements and ceasefires have been implemented in various African countries to solve ongoing political conflicts on the continent. The most notable examples during this period are Mali, Central African Republic and South Sudan. In spite of direct engagement from the international community as mediators, and often-willing participation in negotiations…

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ACLED Asia Data Release

Analysis, Asia, Remote Violence, Rioting And Protests, Violence Against CiviliansBy Clionadh Raleigh 10 March 2015

ACLED Asia will release monthly real-time data for eleven states including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar. Data for January and February 2015 are now available here. Figure 1: ACLED Asia Coverage and Recent Events ACLED data differs from available information on South and Southeast Asia in numerous…

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Where’s ISIS in all this crisis?

Africa, Analysis, Civilians At Risk, Current Hotspots, Focus On Militias, Islamic State, Islamist Violence, Political Stability, Remote Violence, Violence Against CiviliansBy James Moody 25 February 2015

The Egyptian air force’s bombing campaign in Libya’s eastern city of Derna on the 16th February in retaliation of the killing of 21 Coptic Egyptians has sought to raise fundamental questions over the extent and reach of the Islamic State’s presence in Libya. Yet somewhat less explored is the impact the heightened activity by militants…

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Rape as a Weapon of Political Violence, Part 2: Where, When, and by Whom is This Tactic Used?

Africa, Civilians At Risk, Current Hotspots, Ethnic Militias, Focus On Militias, Gender-Based Violence, Inequality, Local-Level Violence, Political Stability, Unidentified Armed Groups, Vigilante Militias, Violence Against CiviliansBy Roudabeh Kishi 25 February 2015

Sexual violence (e.g. rape) is a conscious strategy frequently employed by armed groups to torture and humiliate opponents, terrify individuals, destroy societies though inciting flight from a territory, and to reaffirm aggression and brutality, specifically through an expression of domination (Bastick et al., 2007; UN, 2015). In order to torture opponents, sexual violence can be…

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State Repression as an Obstruction to Conflict Monitoring

Africa, Conflict Monitoring, Ethnic Militias, Focus On Militias, Political Stability, Rioting And Protests, Vigilante Militias, Violence Against CiviliansBy Daniel Wigmore-Shepherd 18 February 2015

Governments may purposely repress or limit the information available to NGOs, media outlets and academics to prevent state forces or policies from being portrayed in a negative light. Conflict, dissent and civil war increase the incentives for controlling information relating to political violence. Reports of human rights abuses by state forces or sympathetic actions by…

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Rape as a Weapon of Political Violence, Part 1: Trends Across Africa

Africa, Civilians At Risk, Current Hotspots, Ethnic Militias, Focus On Militias, Gender-Based Violence, Human Rights, Inequality, Local-Level Violence, Unidentified Armed Groups, Vigilante Militias, Violence Against CiviliansBy Roudabeh Kishi 18 February 2015

Sexual violence as a weapon of political conflict is a serious, present-day atrocity affecting millions of people (primarily women and girls)[1] with grave health implications, both physical and psychological (Bastick, Grimm, and Kunz, 2007; UN, 2015). It is frequently a conscious strategy employed by armed groups to torture and humiliate opponents; terrify individuals and destroy…

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Protest and Shale Exploitation in Algeria

Africa, Analysis, Civilians At Risk, Political Stability, Remote Violence, Violence Against CiviliansBy Andrea Carboni 11 February 2015

The lull in political conflict that Algeria has witnessed since May 2014 eventually terminated in January. Last month, the country saw the number of political conflict events triple the levels of the previous period (see Figure 1). Riots and protests have rapidly spread across the country, involving rural, isolated areas in the south as well…

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Chinese Aid and Violence in Africa

Africa, Aid, Asia, Civilians At Risk, Focus On Militias, Remote Violence, Violence Against CiviliansBy Roudabeh Kishi 11 February 2015

Chinese influence in Africa is on the rise, with China becoming the largest trade partner of the continent (The Economist, 2015) and recently establishing its first mission to the African Union (Reuters, 2015). Chinese aid to Africa has also been increasing. This aid is intentionally distinct from other ‘traditional’ (Western) donors. While the Washington consensus…

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Violence against Civilians and Al Shabaab: Tactics of Internal Security and Distabilisation

Africa, Al Shabaab, Civilians At Risk, Current Hotspots, Political Stability, Remote Violence, Rioting And Protests, Violence Against CiviliansBy Caitriona Dowd 11 February 2015

Conflict event levels and reported fatalities fell slightly in Somalia in January. While violence overall has witnessed a gradual decline since a peak in July 2013, this has been punctuated by upswings in violence, and a concomitant increase in reported fatalities, suggesting an intensification of violent conflict (see Figure 1). In January 2013, there were…

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Egypt: Developments in Political Violence Patterns Through a Comparative Analysis of the January 25th Protest Anniversaries

Africa, Analysis, Civilians At Risk, Current Hotspots, Islamic State, Remote Violence, Rioting And Protests, Violence Against CiviliansBy James Moody 11 February 2015

January saw heightened conflict activity in Egypt; a pattern that is evident in both 2013 and 2014. The over-whelming majority of these events can be understood as a resurgence of protests as demonstrators take to the streets during the week of the 25th January, the anniversary of the Arab Spring uprising. January 2015 was no…

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