The Global Peace Index (GPI) report released recently has placed Nigeria among the least peaceful nations in the world.
The West African nation ranked 147th out of 163 independent states and territories assessed this year in the report produced annually by the Institute for Economics & Peace, a non-partisan and non-profit organisation in Sydney, Australia.
Nigeria placed 40th out of 44 nations assessed in Africa, four places above South Sudan, the least peaceful nation in sub-Saharan Africa.
A report on this year’s rankings said, “The Global Peace Index (GPI) measures more than just the presence or absence of war.
“It captures the absence of violence or the fear of violence across three domains: Safety and Security, Ongoing Conflict, and Militarisation.”
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According to the report, the major cause of the decline in peacefulness in Nigeria was the Boko Haram insurgency, which it said claimed the lives of 640 civilians in 2019 alone. Other causative factors were also listed.
“Nigeria’s problems with cross-border smuggling and imports undercutting local producers have led the government to shut down its borders, causing Nigeria’s relationship with neighbouring countries to deteriorate.
“Over the last year, the country has recorded further deteriorations in Militarisation and Ongoing Conflict and an overall deterioration in peacefulness of 0.8 per cent,” the report read in part.
The report identified the less peaceful nations than Nigeria in Africa as South Sudan, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic.
However, it identified Mauritius as the most peaceful nation in Africa and the 23rd most peaceful globally.
In Africa, the Indian Ocean island was followed by Botswana, Ghana, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Tanzania, Namibia, Liberia, and Malawi.
“Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008.
“It is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Austria, Portugal, and Denmark.
“Afghanistan is the least peaceful country in the world for the second year in a row, followed by Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and Yemen. All, except Yemen, have been ranked amongst the five least peaceful since at least 2015.
“Only two of the nine regions in the world became more peaceful over the past year. The greatest improvement occurred in the Russia and Eurasia region, followed by North America,” the report said.
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