Contents

SIPRI Yearbook 2016

SIPRI Yearbook 2016

II. Patterns of armed conflict, 2006–15

Chapter:
6. Armed conflict data trends
Source:
SIPRI Yearbook 2016
Author(s):
Ian Davis

This section provides an overview of the past ten years of active armed conflicts and a focus on 2015.1 In this section, armed conflict is defined as a contested incompatibility between two parties—at least one of which is the government of a state—that concerns government or territory or both, and where the use of armed force by the parties results in at least 25 battle-related deaths in a calendar year. An armed conflict that results in 1000 battle-related deaths in a year is classified as a ‘war’ in that year; other armed conflicts are classified as ‘minor armed conflicts’. This definition extends from low-intensity conflicts that are active for just one or a few years—such as the territorial conflict between the Indian separatist rebel group the Garo National Liberation Army, GNLA, which was listed as active in 2012 and 2014—to high-intensity, protracted conflicts that go on for a long period, such as the conflict over governmental power in Afghanistan that has pitted successive governments against a range of rebel groups since 1978 and where fighting is still ongoing. For the purpose of this section, a conflict is thus classified as ‘active’ when fighting causes 25 or more battle-related deaths in a year. Cases that fall below this threshold for any reason, such as a de-escalation of hostilities or the signing of a ceasefire, are not listed as active in UCDP data.2

Citation (MLA):
Davis, Ian. "6. Armed conflict data trends." SIPRI Yearbook. SIPRI. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2016. Web. 16 Feb. 2025. <https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198787280/sipri-9780198787280-chapter-006-div1-045.xml>.
Citation (APA):
Davis, I. (2016). 6. Armed conflict data trends. In SIPRI, SIPRI Yearbook 2016: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 16 Feb. 2025, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198787280/sipri-9780198787280-chapter-006-div1-045.xml
Citation (Chicago):
Davis, Ian. "6. Armed conflict data trends." In SIPRI Yearbook 2016: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security, SIPRI. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016). Retrieved 16 Feb. 2025, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198787280/sipri-9780198787280-chapter-006-div1-045.xml
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