Continuing Conflicts That Create Refugees - March 2023

Improved Situations: None

Deteriorated Situations: Sri Lanka, Democratic Republic of Congo, Moldova, Tunisia, Togo, Somaliland , Burkina Faso, Israel/Palestine

Burkina Faso: Back-to-back jihadist attacks in Burkina Faso left scores of military personnel dead; similar large-scale attacks in the past contributed to the ouster of former Presidents Kaboré and Damiba.

Togo: Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadists launched their deadliest attack in Togo to date, killing dozens of civilians and indicating that the group has durably implanted itself in the country’s north.

Israel-Palestine: Violence soared in the West Bank as Israeli forces conducted their deadliest raid in years, Israeli settlers rampaged the town of Hawara and Palestinians staged attacks, leaving dozens of Palestinians and seven Israelis dead.

Tunisia: President Saïed’s comments drawing links between migrants and criminality unleashed a wave of violence against sub-Saharan Africans, while authorities carried out the farthest-reaching arrest campaign in decades targeting opposition figures.

Sri Lanka: Tensions spiked after the government claimed a funding shortfall, forcing the election commission to indefinitely postpone local polls scheduled for March. Police cracked down on pro-election protests, killing an opposition politician.

Moldova/Russia: Relations between Moldova and Russia sharply deteriorated amid allegations of Russian plans to topple the pro-European government in Chișinău, Russia’s accusations of provocation in the breakaway region Transnistria and its violation of Moldova’s airspace.

Aside from the conflict situations we usually cover, we tracked notable developments in Benin and Indonesia.

Conflict Risk Alerts for March: Somaliland: Deadly clashes erupted between Somaliland forces and local militias in Las Anod, the administrative capital of the contested Sool region. Violence could escalate further if fighting spreads beyond Las Anod or draws in other actors.

CrisisWatch Global Conflict Tracker, a tool designed to help decision-makers prevent deadly violence by keeping them up-to-date with developments in over 70 conflicts and crises, identifying trends and alerting them to risks of escalation and opportunities to advance peace.

Source: International Crisis Group, https://rb.gy/uerrfx