The 2026 Global Peace Index report shows that Africa is silently losing to internal conflicts and insurgencies across countries.
Mostly true Confidence: high
Checked on 28 October 2026 · News Intelligence. Checked by two independent AI checks, editor review pending.
The claim
The 2026 Global Peace Index report shows that Africa is silently losing to internal conflicts and insurgencies across countries.
What we found
According to the 2026 Global Peace Index, published in June 2026 and reported by ReliefWeb, People Daily and Vision of Humanity, sub-Saharan Africa became less peaceful again and now accounts for eight of the world's 20 least peaceful countries, up from five in 2008, driven by internal conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and other states. The latest information we found referencing these findings was published on 21 October 2026, though the index itself was released in June 2026. The report does not use the phrase 'silently losing', so that part is an interpretation, but the underlying deterioration is real.
The reasoning
According to the 2026 Global Peace Index, published in June 2026 and reported by ReliefWeb, People Daily and Vision of Humanity, sub-Saharan Africa became less peaceful again and now accounts for eight of the world's 20 least peaceful countries, up from five in 2008, driven by internal conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and other states. The latest information we found referencing these findings was published on 21 October 2026, though the index itself was released in June 2026. The report does not use the phrase 'silently losing', so that part is an interpretation, but the underlying deterioration is real.
Context: The Global Peace Index is produced annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace and covers 163 countries using indicators such as ongoing conflict, safety and security, and militarisation. The 2026 edition reports that global peacefulness declined for the 15th time in 18 years, with sub-Saharan Africa among the regions deteriorating most. Conflict systems in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel and Lake Chad basin, and the Great Lakes show wars spilling across borders through refugee flows, illicit economies and ethnic networks. Countries such as Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and Mali rank near the bottom of the index. At the same time, some African countries, such as Mauritius, remain among the most peaceful, so the regional trend is not uniform.
Correction: The accurate version is that the 2026 Global Peace Index shows sub-Saharan Africa became less peaceful and that internal conflicts and insurgencies, including in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and the Sahel, are major drivers. The report does not use the phrase 'silently losing'.
Sources
Official ReliefWeb copy of the GPI 2026 Special Supplement confirms conflict clusters including the Horn of Africa and the Sahel and Lake Chad basin.
Reports that sub-Saharan Africa declined further in peacefulness and now holds eight of the world's 20 least peaceful countries, up from five in 2008.
The GPI 2026 report itself describes Sudan's civil war, internal conflict deaths and displacement, showing internal conflict as a driver of low peace.
Notes that Sudan, DR Congo, South Sudan, Mali, Somalia and the Central African Republic are among the least peaceful countries, supporting the claim's African focus.
Explains that the Horn of Africa is the world's largest conflict cluster and that 99 of 163 countries became less peaceful in 2025.
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