Armed Conflict, 1989-2002
| Author | Mikael Eriksson,Peter Wallensteen,Margareta Sollenberg |
| Date | 01 September 2003 |
| Published date | 01 September 2003 |
| DOI | 10.1177/00223433030405006 |
| Subject Matter | Other |
593
The Year 2002
Atotal of 226 armed conflicts have been
recorded for the period 1946–2002.1During
the period 1989–2002, there were 116 armed
conflicts in 79 locations around the world
(TableI). In 2002, there were 31 conflicts active
in 24 places, both figures being lower than in
2001 (Gleditsch et al., 2002). The number of
wars decreased significantly from 11 to 5 in
2002. This was due to the fact that the wars in
Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of
Congo, and Sri Lanka ended, and that the wars
in Algeria, Angola, Russia, Rwanda, and the
one involving the USA dropped down below
the 1,000 battle-death threshold. There were
five wars in 2002: Burundi, Colombia, India
(Kashmir), Nepal, and Sudan.
One new armed conflict broke out in
2002. In Ivory Coast, three rebel groups
© 2003 Journal of Peace Research,
vol. 40, no. 5, 2003, pp. 593–607
Sage Publications (London, Thousand Oaks, CA
and New Delhi) www.sagepublications.com
[0022-3433(200309)40:5; 593–607; 035828]
Armed Conflict, 1989–2002*
MIKAEL ERIKSSON, PETER WALLENSTEEN &
MARGARETA SOLLENBERG
Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University
A total of 226 armed conflicts have been recorded for the years 1946–2002. Of these, 116 were active
in the period 1989–2002, including 31 in 2002. There were five wars in 2002. Both numbers were the
lowest for this period. Seven interstate-armed conflicts were recorded 1989–2002, of which one was
still active in 2002. In 2002, a larger proportion of complex major armed conflicts were resolved, com-
pared with new and minor armed conflicts. Although the data on armed conflict presented here suggest
that there is a decline in the use of armed force, there is an increased feeling of fear and insecurity in
many parts of the world because of terrorism incidents.
*This article presents research funded by the Swedish
International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
and the Swedish Emergency Management Agency
(SEMA). Colleagues at the Department in Uppsala have
contributed to data collection. 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 complete list of
all the armed conflicts 1946–2002, the statistical database
in monadic and dyadic form, and the detailed list of
definitions from the Uppsala Conflict Data project are
available on the Armed Conflict webpage at http://www.
prio.no/cwp/ArmedConflict/ and at http://www.pcr.uu.se.
1As part of the project’s continuous revision of armed
conflicts, several conflicts in Africa have been recoded for
the period 1989–2001. The following changes have been
made: Algeria has been coded as an internal minor armed
conflict in 1991; Angola (Cabinda) as an internal minor
armed conflict in 1991 and 1998; Ethiopia (Oromiya) as
an internal minor armed conflict in 1989–91; Congo-
Brazzaville as an internal minor armed conflict in
1993–94; and Somalia as an internal minor armed
conflict in 2001. Angola (Cabinda) is no longer listed for
1992, and Congo-Brazzaville has been changed from war
to intermediate armed conflict in 1999. In the case of
Congo-Brazzaville, Chad has been added as supporting
the government in 1998–99, and in the case of Angola
(vs. UNITA), Namibia has been added as supporting the
government in 1999. It should also be noted that dele-
tions and additions have been made to the listing of oppo-
sition organizations in Algeria, Angola (Cabinda) and
Congo-Brazzaville. Tables, appendices, and datasets have
been changed accordingly.
SPECIAL
DATA
FEATURE
06 JPR 40-5 Eriksson (JB/D) 28/7/03 3:42 pm Page 593
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