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Adolfo Olivas

Ahmed Divela

Amit Jethwa

Artan Cuku

Babita Deokaran

Bayo Ohu

Berta Cáceres

Bhupendra Veera

Bill Kayong

Boris Nemtsov

Boško Buha

Chai Boonthonglek

Charl Kinnear

Chut Wutty

Chynybek Aliev

Cihan Hayirsevener

Daphne Caruana Galizia

Darío Fernández

Derk Wiersum

Deyda Hydara

Édgar Quintero

Edmore Ndou

Edwin Dagua

Federico Del Prete

Fernando Villavicencio

Gezahegn Gebremeskel

Gilles Cistac

Habibur Mondal

Igor Alexandrov

Jacob Juma

Ján Kuciak

Javier Valdez

Joannah Stutchbury

José Ángel Flores

Jules Koum Koum

Kem Ley

Luis Marroquín

Mahamudo Amurane

Marcelo Rivera

María Elena Ferral Hernández

Marielle Franco

Milan Pantić

Milan Vukelić

Muhammad Khan

Nelson García

Nihal Perera

Oliver Ivanović

Orel Sambrano

Perween Rahman

Peter R. de Vries

Rajendra Singh

Salim Kancil

Sandeep Sharma

Sikhosiphi Radebe

Slaviša Krunić

Soe Moe Tun

Victor Mabunda

Virgil Săhleanu

Wayne Lotter

Yuniol Ramírez

Zezico Guajajara
  1. geographic Analysis
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Africa

Africa

185 cases

Period

In 2019 and 2020, Africa saw the third highest number of recorded assassinations, after the Americas and Asia. Most of the victims were politicians and public officials. The killings were largely driven by political motives in Eastern Africa, mostly in Somalia, and in Western Africa, mostly Nigeria. In cases where the actors behind the killings were reported, the data indicate that killings were linked to armed groups.

Main statistics

Motive
127 (69%)
Political
Target Group
57 (31%)
Politics & governance
Gender
153 (83%)
Male
Method
103 (56%)
Shot

cases by region

53%

Eastern Africa

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18%

Western Africa

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13%

Northern Africa

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10%

Southern Africa

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5%

Middle Africa

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Number of cases over time

Featured countries in Africa

32%

Somalia

Somalia

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12%

Nigeria

Nigeria

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9%

Sudan

Sudan

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8%

South Africa

South Africa

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5%

Mozambique

Mozambique

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distribution of cases by CATEGORY

target group

Politics & governance is the category with the highest incidence of cases, accounting for 31% of them.

Politics & governance

57 (31%)

Politics & governance

57 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 68%(39)
  2. Western Africa 16%(9)
  3. Southern Africa 9%(5)
  4. Northern Africa 5%(3)
  5. Middle Africa 2%(1)

Local community

51 (28%)

Local community

51 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 35%(18)
  2. Northern Africa 27%(14)
  3. Western Africa 25%(13)
  4. Southern Africa 10%(5)
  5. Middle Africa 2%(1)

Security

28 (15%)

Security

28 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 68%(19)
  2. Western Africa 11%(3)
  3. Middle Africa 7%(2)
  4. Northern Africa 7%(2)
  5. Southern Africa 7%(2)

Private sector

12 (6%)

Private sector

12 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 67%(8)
  2. Southern Africa 17%(2)
  3. Middle Africa 8%(1)
  4. Western Africa 8%(1)

Criminal justice

10 (5%)

Criminal justice

10 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 50%(5)
  2. Northern Africa 20%(2)
  3. Middle Africa 10%(1)
  4. Southern Africa 10%(1)
  5. Western Africa 10%(1)

Illicit market

7 (4%)

Illicit market

7 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 43%(3)
  2. Southern Africa 29%(2)
  3. Western Africa 29%(2)

International community

6 (3%)

International community

6 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 50%(3)
  2. Western Africa 33%(2)
  3. Middle Africa 17%(1)

Media

5 (3%)

Media

5 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 40%(2)
  2. Western Africa 40%(2)
  3. Middle Africa 20%(1)

Not reported

5 (3%)

Not reported

5 cases

  1. Middle Africa 40%(2)
  2. Southern Africa 40%(2)
  3. Western Africa 20%(1)

Others

4 (2%)

Others

4 cases

  1. Northern Africa 75%(3)
  2. Eastern Africa 25%(1)

motive

Political is the category with the highest incidence of cases, accounting for 69% of them.

Political

127 (69%)

Political

127 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 63%(80)
  2. Western Africa 17%(21)
  3. Northern Africa 8%(10)
  4. Southern Africa 7%(9)
  5. Middle Africa 6%(7)

Not reported

23 (12%)

Not reported

23 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 48%(11)
  2. Western Africa 35%(8)
  3. Northern Africa 9%(2)
  4. Southern Africa 9%(2)

Organized crime

17 (9%)

Organized crime

17 cases

  1. Southern Africa 29%(5)
  2. Western Africa 24%(4)
  3. Eastern Africa 18%(3)
  4. Middle Africa 18%(3)
  5. Northern Africa 12%(2)

Economic

12 (6%)

Economic

12 cases

  1. Northern Africa 75%(9)
  2. Eastern Africa 8%(1)
  3. Southern Africa 8%(1)
  4. Western Africa 8%(1)

Personal

4 (2%)

Personal

4 cases

  1. Southern Africa 50%(2)
  2. Eastern Africa 25%(1)
  3. Northern Africa 25%(1)

Others

2 (1%)

Others

2 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 100%(2)

method

Shot is the category with the highest incidence of cases, accounting for 56% of them.

Shot

103 (56%)

Shot

103 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 44%(45)
  2. Western Africa 20%(21)
  3. Northern Africa 15%(15)
  4. Southern Africa 15%(15)
  5. Middle Africa 7%(7)

Not reported

30 (16%)

Not reported

30 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 57%(17)
  2. Northern Africa 23%(7)
  3. Western Africa 17%(5)
  4. Southern Africa 3%(1)

Bombed

21 (11%)

Bombed

21 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 95%(20)
  2. Northern Africa 5%(1)

Stabbed

16 (9%)

Stabbed

16 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 44%(7)
  2. Western Africa 31%(5)
  3. Middle Africa 13%(2)
  4. Southern Africa 13%(2)

Beaten

3 (2%)

Beaten

3 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 100%(3)

Beheaded

2 (1%)

Beheaded

2 cases

  1. Middle Africa 50%(1)
  2. Western Africa 50%(1)

Hacked

2 (1%)

Hacked

2 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 100%(2)

Poisoned

2 (1%)

Poisoned

2 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 50%(1)
  2. Western Africa 50%(1)

Suffocated

2 (1%)

Suffocated

2 cases

  1. Northern Africa 50%(1)
  2. Southern Africa 50%(1)

Tortured

2 (1%)

Tortured

2 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 100%(2)

Burnt

1 (1%)

Burnt

1 cases

  1. Western Africa 100%(1)

Others

1 (1%)

Others

1 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 100%(1)

perpetrator

Not reported is the category with the highest incidence of cases, accounting for 44% of them.

Not reported

81 (44%)

Not reported

81 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 48%(39)
  2. Western Africa 19%(15)
  3. Southern Africa 17%(14)
  4. Northern Africa 11%(9)
  5. Middle Africa 5%(4)

Armed group

60 (32%)

Armed group

60 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 80%(48)
  2. Middle Africa 8%(5)
  3. Western Africa 8%(5)
  4. Northern Africa 3%(2)

Others

14 (8%)

Others

14 cases

  1. Northern Africa 50%(7)
  2. Western Africa 43%(6)
  3. Eastern Africa 7%(1)

Organized crime

10 (5%)

Organized crime

10 cases

  1. Northern Africa 40%(4)
  2. Eastern Africa 20%(2)
  3. Southern Africa 20%(2)
  4. Western Africa 20%(2)

Hitmen

9 (5%)

Hitmen

9 cases

  1. Southern Africa 33%(3)
  2. Western Africa 33%(3)
  3. Eastern Africa 22%(2)
  4. Northern Africa 11%(1)

State representative

6 (3%)

State representative

6 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 50%(3)
  2. Middle Africa 17%(1)
  3. Northern Africa 17%(1)
  4. Western Africa 17%(1)

Politicial party

5 (3%)

Politicial party

5 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 60%(3)
  2. Western Africa 40%(2)

gender

Male is the category with the highest incidence of cases, accounting for 83% of them.

Male

153 (83%)

Male

153 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 55%(84)
  2. Western Africa 17%(26)
  3. Northern Africa 13%(20)
  4. Southern Africa 8%(13)
  5. Middle Africa 7%(10)

Female

20 (11%)

Female

20 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 40%(8)
  2. Western Africa 25%(5)
  3. Northern Africa 20%(4)
  4. Southern Africa 15%(3)

Not reported

9 (5%)

Not reported

9 cases

  1. Eastern Africa 67%(6)
  2. Western Africa 33%(3)

Female & Male

2 (1%)

Female & Male

2 cases

  1. Southern Africa 100%(2)

transgender

1 (1%)

transgender

1 cases

  1. Southern Africa 100%(1)

Explore regional analysis

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Ahmed Divela

16 January 2019

Mahamudo Amurane

4 October 2017

Sikhosiphi Radebe

22 March 2016

Joannah Stutchbury

15 July 2021

Bayo Ohu

20 September 2009
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Africa

185 cases

Period:
cases by region cases over time countries ranking distribution