Yemen Monitor/Sana’a/Special:
The Global Peace Index has said that Yemen is the least peaceful country in the world out of 163 countries monitored by the index, and among 56 active conflicts on the planet.
The index added that the average level of global peace has deteriorated again, with 56 active conflicts erupting around the world – the highest number since the end of World War II, with fewer conflicts being resolved.
According to the recently published Global Peace Index 2024 report, which was prepared by the Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP). The 18th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI) ranks 163 countries and territories according to their level of peace.
This year’s results recorded the 12th deterioration in peacefulness in the past 16 years, with 65 countries improving and 97 countries deteriorating in peacefulness. This is the largest number of countries in which peace levels have deteriorated in a single year since the start of the index.
Yemen is the least peaceful country in the world in the Global Peace Index 2024, followed by Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Ukraine. This is the first year that Yemen has been ranked as the least peaceful country in the world, having fallen 24 places in the ranking since the start of the index.
The report concludes that conflicts have become more internationalized, with 92 countries now involved in conflict outside their borders, the highest number since the creation of the Global Peace Index in 2008, complicating negotiations for lasting peace and prolonging conflicts. The internationalization of conflicts is due to increased competition between the great powers and the rise of middle-level powers, which have become more active in their regions.
The combination of these factors means that the likelihood of another major conflict is higher than ever since the start of the Global Peace Index.
Europe is the most peaceful region in the world, with eight of the ten most peaceful countries. The Middle East and North Africa region remained the least peaceful region in the world. North America recorded the largest average deterioration among all regions, with a significant decline in peacefulness in both Canada and the US. However, despite this deterioration, the region remains the third most peaceful in the world, after Europe and Asia and the Pacific.
The Global Peace Index 2024 says there has been a significant increase in both conflicts and battle deaths in the past two decades, with battle deaths reaching their highest level in 30 years in 2022. Regional conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Gaza conflict illustrate the devastating human cost and complexity of modern warfare.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has seen more than 2,000 deaths per month almost every month in the past two years, with neither side making significant gains. The Israeli aggression on Gaza has resulted in the martyrdom of more than 38,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 2023, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis.
These conflicts are examples of “eternal wars”, where seemingly endless prolonged violence without clear solutions is exacerbated by external military support, unequal warfare and geopolitical rivalries.
