A shifting landscape: Insights from the 2024 Global Terrorism Index

The global landscape of terrorism continues to evolve, with significant changes in both the frequency and intensity of terrorist activities. The latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI) provides a comprehensive view of these trends, revealing crucial insights into many of the regions where Hart operates, including Somalia, Afghanistan, Libya, Nigeria, Ukraine, and Mozambique.

Understanding terrorism: A complex and evolving definition

Terrorism. A single word that evokes fear and uncertainty. But what exactly is it? With no universally agreed-upon definition, we’ll cite the most referenced definition laid out by the United Nations , which describes terrorism as any act intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to civilians with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government to act. This broad definition underscores the multifaceted nature of terrorism, which often blurs the line between freedom fighters and terrorists.

Global terrorism trends: A surge in fatalities

The 2024 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) paints a complex picture. The GTI report highlights a worrying increase in terrorism-related fatalities, up by 22% from the previous year, reaching 8,352 deaths. This surge marks the highest level since 2017, though still 23% lower than the peak in 2015. Despite the rise in deaths, the number of terrorist incidents has decreased by 22%, indicating that while there are fewer attacks, they have become more lethal and concentrated.?

Take a closer look at contributing factors and the terrorism patterns in Somalia, Afghanistan, Libya, Nigeria, Ukraine and Mozambique here: https://hartinternational.com/insights-from-the-global-terrorism-index-2024/