Slightly fewer wars in 2016

heidelberg - The number of wars has declined slightly in 2016 worldwide. This is evident from the report that published the Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research (HIIK) Friday. The researchers classified last year eighteen hotbeds of war, one less than in 2015.

Except in Syria and Afghanistan are among other things, the fighting in Yemen and South Sudan as a war on the 'conflict barometer' of the HIIK. Which identifies five levels of violence, organized by the use of military assets and the impact on the population. The risk of becoming a victim of armed conflict is greatest in Africa, especially south of the Sahara. In eight of the 48 countries are a lot of people last year slain or put to flight.

The investigators signaled a total of 402 areas of conflict in the world, which has been used in 226 cases violence. 'In Europe, the ongoing state of war in the Donbas region of Ukraine as before as the only serious aggressive litigation,' said board member Sara Engelberg. According to the UN died in the battle between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatists so far about 10 000 people.