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Appendix 2A. Patterns of major armed conflicts, 2000–2009

Contents

I. Global patterns in major armed conflicts

II. Regional patterns

III. Changes in the table of conflicts for 2009

IV. Definitions, sources and methods

Figure 2A.1. Regional distribution and total number of major armed conflicts, 2000–2009 

Figure 2A.2. Timeline of major armed conflicts, 2000–2009

Table 2A.1. Number of major armed conflicts, by region and type, 2000–2009

Table 2A.2. Number of locations of major armed conflict, by region, 2000–2009

Table 2A.3. Major armed conflicts in 2009

 

Appendix 2A presents the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) data on patterns of major armed conflicts in 2000–2009. Read the full appendix [PDF]

Summary

In 2009, 17 major armed conflicts were active in 16 locations around the world.

 

  Conflict location
Africa Rwanda* ‡
  Somalia ↑
  Sudan ↓
  Uganda* ‡
Americas Colombia ↑
  Peru ↓
  USA* ↑
Asia Afghanistan ↑
  India (Kashmir)↓
  Myanmar (Karen State)
  Pakistan ↑
  Philippines
  Philippines (Mindanao)
  Sri Lanka (‘Tamil Eelam’)
Middle East   Iraq ↓
  Israel (Palestinian territories)
  Turkey (Kurdistan)*

 

Where a conflict is over territory, the disputed territory appears in parentheses after the country name. All other conflicts are over government.

* Fighting in these conflicts also took place in other locations.
↑ Increase in battle-related deaths from 2008.

↓ Decrease in battle-related deaths from 2008.
‡ Conflict inactive or not defined as ‘major’ in 2008.

 

Only 6 of the major armed conflicts in 2009 were over territory, with 11 being fought over government. Indeed, conflicts over government outnumbered those over territory in 9 of the
10 years 2000–2009.

 

For the sixth year running, no major interstate conflict was active in 2009. Over the decade 2000–2009, only 3 of the total of 30 major armed conflicts have been interstate.

 

Major armed conflicts, 2000–2009

Major armed conflicts, 2000–2009
 

 

 

Lotta Harbom (Sweden) is a Research Assistant with the Uppsala Conflict Data Program at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University.

 

Professor Peter Wallensteen (Sweden) is Dag Hammarskjöld Chair in Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, where he directs the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, and Richard G. Starmann Sr Research Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

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