Armed Conflict, 1989-2000
| Date | 01 September 2001 |
| Published date | 01 September 2001 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0022343301038005008 |
| Author | Peter Wallensteen,Margareta Sollenberg |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
629
The Year 2000
During the period 1989–2000, there were
111 armed conflicts in 74 locations around
the world (Table I; Figure 1). In 2000, there
were 33 conflicts active in 27 places, both
figures being lower than in 1999 (Wallen-
steen & Sollenberg, 2000). The number of
armed conflicts is the lowest recorded in the
post-Cold War era.
One new armed conflict broke out in
2000. In Uzbekistan, the IMU (Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan), which had been
involved in some incidents of fighting in
1999, escalated its campaign against the
government of Uzbekistan aiming at estab-
lishing an Islamic state. As the IMU was
moving through Kyrgyzstan, this state joined
with Uzbekistan in the fighting.
Two armed conflicts recommenced in
2000. In Iran, fighting between the govern-
ment and the Mujahideen Khalq escalated
and included clashes between the Iranian
security forces and the Mujahideen on Iran’s
border with Iraq. The Mujahideen also
carried out mortar attacks on strategic targets
in Teheran. The activity in this conflict had
been below the threshold for inclusion since
1993. In Liberia, the conflict over govern-
mental power, which had been settled by the
1995 peace agreement, erupted again as a
new opposition organization, the LURD
(Liberians United for Reconciliation and
Development), was formed, building on
previously active organizations. LURD,
aiming for the overthrow of President
Charles Taylor, began its campaign in Lofa
County in July 2000, where violence had also
been reported in 1999. The conflict led to a
© 2001 Journal of Peace Research,
vol. 38, no. 5, 2001, pp. 629–644
Sage Publications (London, Thousand Oaks,
CA and New Delhi)
[0022-3433(200109)38:5; 629–644; 019476]
Armed Conflict, 1989–2000*
PETER WALLENSTEEN & MARGARETA
SOLLENBERG
Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University
A total of 111 armed conflicts have been recorded for the years 1989–2000. Of these, 33 were active
in 2000. This represents a decrease from 1999 and 1998, and it is the lowest number of armed con-
flicts recorded in the post-Cold War period. Seven interstate armed conflicts were recorded for the whole
period, of which two were still active in 2000. The decrease in the number of armed conflicts is not suf-
ficient to conclude that there will be a further decline. Conflicts have become increasingly complex in
terms of number of actors and regional connections between those actors. There is a larger proportion
of new and minor armed conflicts being resolved than long-running and complex major armed con-
flicts.
* This article presents research funded by the Swedish
International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
Colleagues in the Department of Peace and Conflict
Research in Uppsala have contributed to the data collec-
tion. Valuable comments have also been provided by
researchers at the International Peace Research Institute,
Oslo (PRIO) and other colleagues. We are grateful for all
such input. Responsibility for the article, however, rests
solely with the authors. The data used in the article can be
obtained from http://www.peace.uu.se. An extension of the
dataset back to 1946 is currently in progress. For a prelimi-
nary version, see Gleditsch et al. (2001).
SPECIAL
DATA
FEATURE
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severe political crisis between Liberia and
Guinea as the Liberian government accused
Guinea of sheltering the rebels.1There were
also connections to Sierra Leone, and the
three states criticized each other for interfer-
ence in internal affairs.
Seven conflicts listed in 1999 were no
longer active. The Russia (Dagestan) con-
flict, fueled in part by tensions in neigh-
boring Chechnya, faded in the autumn of
1999 and is no longer listed as a separate
armed conflict. The agreement on Yugo-
slavia (Kosovo) in June 1999 between
Yugoslavia and the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) ended NATO
airstrikes and ground fighting between
Yugoslavia and the UCK (Ushtria Çlir-
imtare ë Kosovës: Kosovo Liberation Army),
and no further military action was re-
ported. In the Myanmar (Shan) armed con-
flict, military action between the SSA (Shan
State Army) and Myanmar cont-inued
during 2000, but the number of deaths
remained unknown. This conflict is listed
among the unclear cases (Appendix 3). For
journal of PEACE RESEARCH volume 38 / number 5 / september 2001
630
Table I. Armed Conflicts and Conflict Locations, 1989–2000
All
Level of conflict 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 years*
Minor 15 16 18 23 15 16 12 17 13 10 10 9 50
Intermediate 14 14 13 12 17 19 17 13 14 13 13 12 12
War 18192020 14 7 6 6 71414 12 49
All conflicts 47 49 51 55 46 42 35 36 34 37 37 33 111
All locations 37 39 38 41 33 32 30 29 27 32 28 27 74
* At the highest level recorded.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Number of Armed Conflicts
War Intermediate Minor
Figure 1. Number of Armed Conflicts by Level of Activity and Year, 1989–2000
1Guinea also blamed Liberia for supporting an insurgency
in Guinea. The Guinean insurgency, which led to hundreds
of deaths, is included in Appendix 3, Unclear Cases, as
neither the identity nor the goals of the insurgents have
been established.
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