The year 2023 marked a harrowing surge in explosive violence, with global civilian casualties skyrocketing by 122%, as reported by the London-based charity Action on Armed Violence (AOAV). Delving into the data collected from English-language media reports reveals disturbing trends, highlighting a distressing reality for communities worldwide.
Shockingly, 67% of these fatalities were attributed to air strikes, emphasizing the devastating impact of such attacks on innocent lives.
ISRAEL’S OPERATION SWORDS OF IRON
A significant contributor to this surge was Israel’s military operation in Gaza, known as Operation Swords of Iron, resulting in 37% of all global civilian casualties in 2023. The conflict in Gaza sheds light on the challenges of accurately capturing the extent of harm caused by explosive weapons.
Escalation of Air-launched Attacks
Air-launched attacks witnessed a staggering 226% increase in 2023, causing a disproportionate spike in civilian casualties by 322%. This shift in tactics raises concerns about the escalating use of air strikes and their devastating impact on civilian populations.
STATE-PERPETRATED VIOLENCE DOMINATES
The data underscores a disturbing trend of state-perpetrated explosive violence, accounting for 77% of civilian casualties in 2023. Israel emerged as the most injurious state actor, responsible for a staggering 50% of all civilian casualties from state-perpetrated explosive violence.
WEAPONS AND PERPETRATORS
- Air Strikes Take Centre Stage; Air-launched weapons, representing 23% of global incidents, caused 48% of all global civilian casualties in 2023. This highlights the alarming efficacy and destructive power of air strikes in contemporary conflicts.
- Ground-launched Attacks; Ground-launched attacks increased by 56%, contributing to 49% of all global recorded incidents. While civilian casualties rose slightly, fatalities decreased, suggesting variations in the lethality of ground-launched weapons.
- Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs); Contrary to the overall trend, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) caused lower reported harm to civilians in 2023. Despite a 30% increase in incidents, civilian casualties decreased by 31%, reflecting a shift in the dynamics of explosive violence.
PERPETRATORS AND GLOBAL IMPACT
State Actors Dominate; State actors were responsible for 77% of civilian casualties in 2023, marking an 89% increase in incidents compared to the previous year. The surge in state-perpetrated violence underscores the urgent need for international intervention.
Israel’s Unprecedented Impact; Israel emerged as the most injurious state actor, with a remarkable 1,026 recorded incidents causing 12,966 civilian casualties. The impact of Israel’s actions on the global stage is evident, with the nation reportedly responsible for 60% of all reported civilian fatalities in 2023.
GLOBAL HOTSPOTS
Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, and Syria emerged as the most affected regions, collectively witnessing a distressing surge in explosive violence. The top 10 worst affected countries include Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, Syria, Somalia, Pakistan, Yemen, Israel, and Russia.
The data from 2023 paints a grim picture of escalating explosive violence globally. The unprecedented surge in civilian casualties, particularly in conflict zones, necessitates urgent international action to address the root causes and mitigate the devastating consequences. As communities bear the scars of explosive violence, the call for a future where such acts are deemed unacceptable grows louder.
