Africa is not at peace

Peace in Africa is elusive.

The fifth annual Global Peace Index finds that Africa is the world's least peaceful continent. Overall, the world is slightly less peaceful than last year, and Africa has contributed to that deterioration.

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region least at peace and Somalia was rated as the world's least peaceful country.

But there is some good news. Chad was the most improved country. 

Botswana is the most peaceful African country for the third successive year with a ranking of 35th most peaceful country in the world.

Malawi was the next most peaceful African country, which achieved a reduction in the likelihood of violent demonstrations and an improvement in the human rights situation. I'm not so sure about that ranking – tell the gays who were terrorized in Malawi that the human rights climate has improved. 

Chad’s peace ranking improved significantly, in large part due to its rapprochement with Sudan after several years of violent conflict that were linked to the genocide and humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Diplomatic relations with Sudan were restored in late 2008 and the Doha Peace Agreement, signed in May 2009, held throughout 2010.

Somalia remained the lowest-ranked country in Africa, but its score improved following a reduction in military expenditure and a slightly more stable political scene. It remained volatile, however, under the new prime minister of the transitional federal government (TFG), Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo.

However, because Iraq’s score improved, Somalia fell to the lowest position in the world. Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to occupy spots in the lowest 10 ten positions and each experienced a deterioration in their score.

Madagascar’s score deteriorated by the largest extent. The island’s relatively peaceful state (it was ranked 40th in the 2007 GPI) came to an abrupt end in early 2009, when political tensions erupted into violence. Since the overthrow of the president, Marc Ravalomanana in March 2009 the country has been in deep political
crisis, which intensifi ed at times in 2010 and was accompanied by an increasingly acute economic crisis, refl ected in declines in several of the measures of safety and security in society.

Here's a rundown of how African countries are ranked on the peace index. Botswana is the most peaceful African country and it is ranked 35th in the world, and so on:

1 – Botswana 35
2 – Malawi 39 
3 – Ghana 42 
4 – Mozambique 48

5 – Burkina Faso 51 

6 – Zambia 52 
7 – Namibia 54
8 – Tanzania 56
9 – Sierra Leone 61
10 – The Gambia 62
11 – Swaziland 69 
12 – Equatorial Guinea 75 
13 – Senegal 77
14 – Gabon 81 
15 – Cameroon 86 
16 – Angola 87 
17 – Guinea 92
18 – Uganda 96 

19 – Liberia 96 
20 – Congo (Brazzaville) 98 
21 – Rwanda 99 
22 – Mali 100 
23 – Eritrea 104 
24 – Madagascar 105 
25 – Kenya 111 
26 – South Africa 118 
27 – Niger 119 
28 – Cote d’ Ivoire 128 
29 – Mauritania 130 
30 – Ethiopia 131 
31 – Burundi 132 
32 – Zimbabwe 140 
33 – Chad 141 
34 – Nigeria 142 
35 – Central African Republic 144 
36 – Democratic Republic of the Congo 148 
37 – Sudan 151 
38 – Somalia 153