Asia-Pacific: Local officials increasingly become the target of rioters’ grievances

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This report is part of ACLED's annual Violence Targeting Local Officials series that has been covering this topic for the past four years.

In 2025, 35% of all incidents of violence targeting local officials worldwide occurred in the Asia-Pacific region. With 933 recorded events across 12 countries, it remains the leading region for such violence. This targeted violence primarily took two forms: rioters attacking local authorities in acts of anti-government grievances and non-state armed groups targeting them within the context of a wider conflict setting, including insurgencies in Pakistan and the post-coup conflict in Myanmar.

Rioters are becoming key perpetrators of violence targeting local officials in the region. Both the total number and proportion of all events have increased year after year since 2021 (see graph below). ACLED records events of this kind in eight countries in 2025. However, nearly 90% occurred in just three — Nepal, India, and Indonesia — where demonstrations against legislative changes, perceived inequalities, corruption, and wider feelings of governmental inaction turned violent. 

In 2025, Nepal experienced the largest increase in violent events targeting local officials, rising to 134 compared to 33 in 2024. This increase took place during the large Gen-Z demonstration movement that led to the overthrow of the ruling government in September. During these demonstrations, rioters primarily attacked and set fire to property, including political offices and officials’ private residences. In some cases, police opened fire on crowds, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries. 

In what has been characterized as “an era of newfound protester power,” demonstrators in Nepal were inspired by protest movements across Asia, including the 2024 demonstrations in Bangladesh that led to the overthrow of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.¹ ACLED also records a large spike in violence targeting local officials by rioters during those demonstrations, as noted in last year's report. Rioters are likely to maintain their focus on local officials and their property, as these targets are accessible and carry an important symbolic weight as the most visible representation of the state they are protesting against.

In areas of active armed conflict — such as Myanmar and Pakistan’s border regions — non-state armed groups targeted local officials in efforts to disrupt governance, deter public cooperation, or demonstrate territorial control. However, this kind of violence decreased in 2025 compared to the previous year and has been on a continuous decline since 2021. This trend is primarily due to a significant drop in such violence in Myanmar in 2025. 

While this decrease fits within the broader dynamics of fewer violent events across Myanmar, it may also reflect changing tactics and opportunities. As the conflict in Myanmar has evolved, junta-appointed officials have become increasingly trained and armed, as part of the military’s security response to armed opposition groups. This shift has blurred the line between civilian and combatant roles. In most cases, attacks against officials now amount to military operations with greater risk and resource requirements. Meanwhile, resistance forces have shifted their tactics toward capturing towns and consolidating territorial gains rather than focusing on mostly symbolic, targeted attacks against individuals. While attacks by resistance forces on local officials rose slightly in the final quarter of 2025 amid efforts to disrupt elections, the total number remained well below levels seen in previous years.

Meanwhile, such violence increased in Pakistan despite the regionwide decline. There, targeted violence was mostly carried out by militant groups like Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch separatists. Amid the conflicts escalating in 2025, these groups have increasingly targeted local officials and symbolic infrastructure, such as government offices, to showcase their strength, undermine state governance, and challenge state authority in Pakistan's frontier regions.

Regional trends in violence targeting local officials