Reports on world wars and conflicts in 2023.

Based on a study by the Peace Research Institute Oslo, although the number of deaths on the battlefield decreased last year compared to the previous two years, the overall number of conflict-related deaths, including civilian casualties, reached a 30-year high. The decrease in battlefield deaths is linked to the ceasefire in the Tigray conflict. In total, there were 122,000 conflict-related deaths recorded in 2023, with over 71,000 fatalities in Ukraine and around 23,000 in Gaza. There were a total of 59 different conflict zones in 34 countries.

Africa has the highest number of inter- and intra-state conflicts, with 28 separate conflict zones. The number of conflicts on the continent has nearly doubled over the past decade, resulting in over 330,000 battlefield deaths as of 2021.

Violence against children caught up in conflicts from Israel and the Palestinian territories to Sudan, Myanmar, and Ukraine reached “extreme levels” in 2023, with unprecedented killings and injuries, according to a UN report. Overall, there was a “shocking 21% increase in serious violations” against children and young people under 18, including in Congo, Burkina Faso, Somalia, and Syria. In Sudan alone, grave violations against children rose by 480%.