1. Somalia
For over 20 years, Somalia has been in the face of a civil war. There
has been constant conflict between the Transitional Federal Government
which is supported by the United Nations and several groups of
Islamist rebels, some of which are close to Al-Qaeda.
The government of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed seems to control part of
the capital Mogadishu, which happens to be the scene of regular
fighting between both sides to maintain control.
With Somalia's stability still foggy, over 20 percent of Somalis under
the Office of the United Nations for Refugees (UNHCR) have fled the
country controlled by fear.
Among all the sub-Saharan African countries which experienced wars in
the past 10 years, Rwanda have not been ranked among the ten most
dangerous countries.
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2. Sudan
Sudan is a country that has suffered internal conflicts with serious
political, security and humanitarian consequences over the years and
the situation has even worsened in the past few years.
Violence has flared along the border since South Sudan became
independent last year.
Conflicts have erupted in two border states where communities
traditionally allied to the south found themselves north of the border
after independence.
The conflict in Darfur has killed about 300,000 people, including
those due to famine and disease , and 2.7 million people have been
displaced since 2003. The peace agreement signed in 2006 between the
government and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), one of
the strongest rebel groups, is fragile because all factions did not
sign.
Thanks to self-determination referendum in 2011, the conflict in
Southern Sudan is in the process of healing. However, the situation in
Abyei, remains uncertain.
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3. Democratic Republic of Congo
A series of landmark and peer-reviewed studies by the IRC and some of
the world's leading epidemiologists conclude that an estimated 5.4
million people died from conflict-related causes in Congo since 1998.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has faced a lot of border
insecurity and violence within. The massive influx of refugees after
the Rwandan genocide.
To the east, the Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for the
Liberation of Uganda (ADF-NALU), Ugandan rebel movement, is in
conflict with the Congolese government. This group is related to the
Shabab Somali fundamentalist Islamic group linked to Al-Qaeda.
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4. Libya
The crisis in Libya seized the attention of the international
community and has been labeled a clear case for timely and decisive
response in the face of an imminent threat of mass atrocities.
The protests led to the downfall of the authority of Muammar Gaddafi
in the east. Since then, international intervention under the
authority of NATO has still not managed to completely restore calm in
the country.
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5.Chad
Chad has drastically improved its position by striking a more healthy
relationship with her neighbouring countries.
In the recent past, Chad was politically insecure and volatile.
Ethnic clashes, banditry and fighting between government forces and
rebel groups contributed to a worsening security situation in the
region. It was reported that an estimated 180,000 Chadians were forced
from their homes within three years while 285,000 refugees from the
Central African Republic (CAR) and the Darfur region of Sudan have
fled violence in their own countries and live in refugee camps in
eastern Chad.
The instability also impacted some 700,000 Chadians whose communities
have been disrupted by fighting and strained by the presence of the
displaced.
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6. Central African Republic
The security situation in the Central African Republic is growing more
precarious by the day as an insurgent coalition advances toward the
capital city of Bangui. Despite the signing of a peace agreement in
2008, some groups have not signed the agreement and are still active.
In the south-east, the troops of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) led
by Joseph Kony, continue unabated. This group which is part of the
most violent in the world, has expanded internationally and is present
in the DRC and southern Sudan, where he is engaged in looting and
abductions of civilians.
The Central African Republic recently joined the list and faces a
devastating humanitarian crisis that threatens to plunge the
population even deeper into misery.
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7. Nigeria
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and home to over 180 million
people is in the midst of political, economic and social instability.
The north, central and south eastern parts of Nigeria are the most
affected parts. In recent times, there has been a sharp increase in
religious conflict at the northern part of the country where the
killings of Muslims and Christians have sent over 40,000 to their
graves.
There has also been an increase in acts of terrorism and inhumanity
against government and public structures including churches carried
out by a sect called Boko Haram.
The Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) as well as the
Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) operate in the southern part of the
country, attacking the facilities and personnel of oil companies.
Kidnappings of expatriates and attacks on oil pipelines are their
predilections.
The Amnesty programme initiated by the Federal Government seem to have
successfully reduced these attacks on government properties but the
country has continued to face a rising wave of kidnapping and
corruption.
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8. Zimbabwe
Following the country's presidential election in 2008 between Robert
Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, his main rival, both claimed victory in
the first round of elections, Zimbabwe has regenerated a wave of
renewed violence and instability with the establishment of a system
with two-heads: president as Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai as
Prime Minister in 2009.
Although the situation later eased off a little bit, it was once again
reignited when Zimbabweans started off massive protests against Mugabe
in 2017, demanding that he steps down as the country's president. This
finally led to a military coup, albeit bloodless.
Zimbabwe Peace Project reported a 15% increase in human rights
violations that were "directly linked" to the new push for polls in
2012 and 2 years earlier, attempts by the Prime Minister to develop
the Constitution have been sabotaged by the camp of Robert Mugabe.
Public meetings were banned, arbitrary arrests, looting and
ransacking, have pushed the country into violence.
In general, Zimbabwean government has remained a troubled coalition
characterised by bickering and stalemate. The political impasse has
impacted negatively on the benefits of a good governance and stalled
Zimbabwe from operating in its full capacity.
It has generally constrained peaceful political participation as well
as economic progress.
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9. Burundi
For the past 15 years, Burundi has known political conflict and for
more than a decade, the local and regional peace talks have been
initiated.
The international community and other peace-loving organisations have
tried to find a way out of the endless Burundian conflicts but the
outcome seems to be a worsening state of political, economic and
social violence and inequalities.
The misaligned political interests have fuelled these instabilities
over the years.
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10. Ethiopia
Ethiopia comes up at number 10 on our list of 10 most dangerous places
in Africa. Ethiopia has been involved in a conflict with Eritrea for
more than ten years. Eritrea got her independence from Ethiopia about
30 years ago following a prolonged fight for freedom.
The Border disputes between Eritrea and Ethiopia have been going on
ever since Eritrea broke free from Ethiopia in 1991. The International
Court of Justice had clearly defined the borders between the 2
countries but there is still a tense relationship between the nations
as Ethiopia has not fully withdrawn from the region.
There is also a group known as Oromo Liberation Front which has been
labeled as outlaw and a terrorist organisation by the Ethiopian
government. The organisation was started in 1973 by Oromo nationalists
to promote self-determination for the Oromo people against what they
call "Abyssinian colonial rule".
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