In a world growing more complex by the day, peace is becoming an increasingly rare commodity. According to the recently released 2025 Global Peace Index (GPI) by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the global state of peace has taken a hit — again. For the sixth year in a row, the world has grown more tense, with foreign interventions and international conflicts on the rise.
While improvements have been seen in domestic safety — with crime rates down and fewer violent demonstrations — the picture outside national borders tells a different story. One of the biggest red flags? A sharp rise in countries engaged in external conflicts.
📊 The Alarming Rise in External Conflicts
The GPI’s “External Conflicts Fought” indicator showed the largest global deterioration in 2025. This is largely due to foreign powers becoming more entangled in overseas conflicts, whether through military support, peacekeeping missions, or direct combat. Heavyweights like the United States, Russia, Iran, and France topped the charts — but several African countries also saw significant increases.
In total, 98 countries have been involved in at least one external conflict in the past five years — a dramatic rise from just 59 in 2008. Even more concerning is that four of the ten worst declines globally occurred in sub-Saharan Africa.
🔥 Africa’s External Conflict Hotspots: The Top 8
Based on the GPI 2025 report, here are the African countries involved in five or more external conflicts — a worrying benchmark of instability and military entanglement:
| Rank | Country | UN Involvement | African Union | Other | Total Conflicts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 4 | – | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | 🇧🇮 Burundi | 3 | – | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 3 | – | 2 | 5 |
| 4 | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 2 | – | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | 4 | 1 | – | 5 |
| 6 | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | 4 | 1 | – | 5 |
| 7 | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 2 | – | 3 | 5 |
| 8 | 🇳🇪 Niger | 3 | – | 2 | 5 |
These countries have actively participated in various external engagements, often through peacekeeping missions under the UN or African Union, or by providing military aid or direct intervention in neighboring conflicts.
⚠️ What’s Fueling These Engagements?
Many of these external involvements stem from efforts to stabilize neighboring regions plagued by rebel groups, terrorism, and political unrest. While noble in intent, these missions often carry high costs — financially, militarily, and in terms of national stability.
- Cameroon and Burundi, with 6 conflicts each, are the most deeply involved, reflecting their complex roles in regional security efforts.
- Nations like Rwanda and Tanzania have committed heavily to UN peacekeeping operations, while countries like Nigeria and Ghana often engage due to both security concerns and geopolitical influence.
🕊️ A World Less at Peace
Despite positive trends in domestic safety — such as falling crime rates and improved public trust — the increase in external conflict involvement poses a serious threat to long-term peace. African nations, already burdened with internal development challenges, are now facing heightened pressure from external commitments.
This trend highlights the need for balanced foreign policy, strengthened regional diplomacy, and increased international cooperation to de-escalate tensions and focus on sustainable peace.
✍️ Final Thoughts
The numbers don’t lie. As external entanglements grow, so too does the risk of long-term instability. While peacekeeping and security cooperation are vital, the African continent must tread carefully to ensure that its pursuit of regional stability does not lead to prolonged conflict cycles.
For now, these eight countries stand at the crossroads of diplomacy and conflict — and the choices they make today will shape the peace of tomorrow.
