fbpx

Most Unstable Countries In Africa

Most Unstable Countries In Africa

8 of 11

Every year, the Fund for Peace releases a Failed States Index based on 12 indicators accounting for social, economic and political factors.

Ten of the top 15 most unstable countries in the world are in Africa, according to the 2013 Failed States Index.

Countries were measured on demographic pressures (disease, natural disasters, famine); refugees and population displacement; group grievances, tensions, human flight and brain drain; uneven economic development; poverty, state legitimacy or corruption; availability and effectiveness of public services; human rights; security; power struggles; and external intervention. For a complete breakdown of the indicators, go to ffp.statesindex.org/indicators.

The following are the most unstable countries in Africa according to this ranking of failed states, along with the numbers that represent their overall ranking globally.

Sources: FFP.StatesIndex.org, IBTimes.com, Wikipedia.org, BusinessInsider.com, FreedomHouse.org, Economist.com, Breitbart.com, BKRaxBerger.Wordpress.com, Conference.OSU.eu, BBC.com, CigiOnline.org, HuffingtonPost.com, CounterPunch.org

Expedino.com
Expedino.com

10. Guinea-Bissau (No. 15)

A history of civil war, government coups, presidential assassinations, and general political instability contributed to Guinea-Bissau’s inclusion in the Failed States Index. It has one of the world’s lowest gross domestic products per capita, as well as one of the lowest Human Development Index ratings in the world (two thirds of the population lives below the poverty line). Since the most recent 2012 coup, Guinea-Bissau has become a hotbed of drug trafficking activity, with an interim government either unwilling or unable to effectively curtail it.

Presidential elections in Guinea-Bissau have continued to be pushed back and postponed since late 2013. They are currently scheduled to take place on April 13, 2014.

MapsofWorld.com
MapsofWorld.com

9. Guinea (No. 14)

Partially fueled by an influx of refugees from neighboring conflict zones in Sierra Leone and Liberia, Guinea’s poverty and poor economic development — despite its immense mineral wealth — contributes to its overall instability. The refugee crisis has also inflamed ethnic tensions, and the country’s authoritarian regime headed by President Alpha Condé has a reputation for corruption and repression of the Guinean people.

WorldAtlas.com
WorldAtlas.com

8. Côte d’Ivoire (No. 12)

Many assumed that with the ousting of former ruler Laurent Gbagbo and the inauguration of the democratically elected President Ouattara, Côte d’Ivoire would be able to maintain a more stable and peaceful order. However, factionalized fighting and ethno-regional conflict have not ceased. Anti-government attacks on police, military, and even civil structures are commonplace. The number of external forces in the country, from U.N. peacekeepers to French ground forces, underline the difficulty Côte d’Ivoire has maintaining order.

Flagpedia.net
Flagpedia.net

7. Zimbabwe (No. 10)

Led by dictator Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe has suffered from a multitude of problems: extreme poverty, rampant HIV/AIDS, insufficient healthcare, and some of the worst hyperinflation in the world. Elections are considered far from free and fair, and the brain drain of the country’s best and brightest talent continue to hurt its struggling economy.

Flagpedia.net
Flagpedia.net

6. Central African Republic (No. 9)

Since its independence in 1960, the Central African Republic has witnessed a multitude of coups – the most recent in March 2013, when the Séléka rebel group siezed the country’s capital. The head of state is viewed as having no legitimacy with the citizens of the CAR, nor with the international community, and the lack of effective security and overwhelming refugee crisis further lower the country’s score. It is thought that the rule of law within the Central African Republic has been completely eroded.

MapsnWorld.com
MapsnWorld.com

5. Chad (No. 5)

Landlocked by other unstable members of this list, Chad has struggled to maintain order as unrest in neighboring Sudan created an influx of millions of refugees pouring into its borders. Beyond the refugee crisis, however, Chad is known for a dearth of public infrastructure that has created rampant health issues and the lowest life expectancy in the world, at just 49.07 years on average. Human rights abuses are consistently reported from the country, and a struggling economy has only seen slight improvements since Chad became an oil-producing nation in 2003.

Ilbrizzo.com
Ilbrizzo.com

4. South Sudan (No. 4)

Following the creation of South Sudan in July 2011, the international community was hopeful that stability would return to the region. However, the new country has continued to struggle. The fact that South Sudan most of the oil, while the bulk of the refineries lie in Sudan, has prevented the economy from flourishing. Internal political and ethnic tensions have led to deadly violence, and security forces alternately are unable to quell the clashes or contribute to the violence.

Meed.com
Meed.com

3. Sudan (No. 3)

Internationally infamous for the Darfur genocide, Sudan has created an international refugee crisis, and its ethnic tensions have shown no signs of subsiding. The international community attempts to restore order and maintain peace, but factionalized fighting among the country’s elite continues to pose a threat to a functioning government. Human rights abuses are rampant, and Sudan consistently receives low scores on the Human Development Index.

FlagSpot.net
FlagSpot.net

2. Democratic Republic of Congo (No. 2)

The bulk of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s low score due to immense demographic pressures – an exploding HIV/AIDS epidemic, extreme poverty, insufficient food, and pollution that creates unsanitary conditions across the country. Powerful rebel groups have created consistent internal conflicts that have resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, and a government that is widely considered dysfunctional and inept at addressing the country’s pressing issues results in the DRC’s No. 2 ranking in 2013.

Flagpedia.net
Flagpedia.net

1. Somalia (No. 1)

Somalia has been ranked one of the most failed states in the world nearly every year since 2008, and 2013 was no exception. It has rampant disease, an increasingly fraught refugee situation and internal displacement, a lack of public infrastructure or development, and a record of human rights abuses that stretches back decades. The country’s famine of 2010 to 2012, is estimated to have resulted in more than 260,000 deaths, and tribalism and rebel groups have continued to make food scarcity a pressing issue. Foreign intervention prevails, but the Somali government has been accused of harboring internationally known terrorist groups for years.