Violence Targeting Local Officials
An ACLED Special Series
Local government officials and administrators — including governors, mayors, councilors, and other civil servants — frequently come under attack by a wide array of armed actors, from cartels waging turf wars in Mexico to Russian occupying forces in Ukraine. In order to better analyze this trend and its impacts around the world, ACLED has launched a new project to systematically track incidents of violence targeting local officials for the first time.
Violence Targeting Local Officials
2023 Annual Report
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.
Curated Data File: Violence Targeting Local Officials
Download the new ACLED data on violence targeting local government officials around the world.
This file contains events classified as violence targeting local government officials with the ‘local administrators’ tag, where 1) violence is used against local officials or administrators; or 2) property owned by (or symbolic of) local government administration is targeted or destroyed. Local officials are understood as administrators who are part of subnational government institutions, from the first-level administration division down to cities, towns, and villages. Examples of local officials are: elected or appointed officials or representatives from subnational state institutions (including former); civil servants, election officials and poll workers, local justice officials, and other local authorities; and relatives of local officials or representatives. The tag also applies to attacks that target property linked to government functions or owned by local officials, including local government buildings, courts, local election centers, and/or adjacent public or private property. For more information, check the methodology note on the ‘local administrators’ tag. Please note differences in time period coverage per country and region. A full list of country-year coverage is available here.
Violence Targeting Local Administrators ( 22 November 2024 )
Inaugural Special Issue
Our inaugural special issue examines trends in violence targeting local officials in the European Union, Ukraine, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, and South Africa.