On January 27, The University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats released its first systematic analysis of militant violence around the world, analyzing trends in suicide and non-suicide attack patterns, Arabic propaganda, and the shock of Covid-19 with reliable data from January 1 to December 31, 2020.
The report covers four main regions of the world: the Middle East, Northern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South-Central Asia (incl. Afghanistan)
Key findings
- Globally, 2020 was a down year for terrorism/militant violence (5-10%)
- Dropping sharply in first 6 months
- Rising in last 6 months
- Middle East saw suicide attacks down sharply (72%)
- Northern Africa was flat
- Sub-Saharan Africa bucked the trend, with violence increasing (11%)
- Due to Islamic State affiliates competing and fighting with Al-Qaeda groups for control
- Afghanistan down 45%, but rising sharply in last 6 months
- Rise threatening to Afghan Government in near term
For a 5 min summary, see professor Robert Pape's interview on WGN.
Click here for a 40 min video summary.
Click here for our full report.