Non-state armed groups like Wagner on the rise worldwide, says thinktank
Third-party involvement and non-state armed groups are creating a world of increasing violence that is less easy to manage, a study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies has revealed.
The IISS's Armed Conflict Survey found armed organisations such as Russia's Wagner Group were growing internationally.
Citing data from the International Committee of the Red Cross, experts said around 200 million people now live in areas controlled by these groups to some degree.
Survey editor Dr Irene Mia said security, healthcare, social support and taxes are being managed by the vast majority of the non-state armed groups in question.
She said they sometimes have more power than the legitimate states in which they are located.
When it comes to state actors, the survey touched on third-party involvement in otherwise internal conflicts, drawing them out globally - and all at the expense of funding to address humanitarian crises and development.
The IISS also highlighted concerns over the impact of countries such as Russia, China and Iran elsewhere in the world.
And despite ongoing criticism of its human rights, it said even Afghanistan under Taliban rule shows how less unrest can lead to a reduction in violence.
Antoine Levesques, a research fellow for South and Central Asian defence, strategy and diplomacy at the IISS, said: "In terms of levels of violence, in terms of broad stability, Afghanistan is unfortunately for many of us in the West better of now, on narrow criteria, than it was before."
Regional issues like the Ukraine war and the current war in the Middle East also feature in the survey, alongside "diminishing Western clout".
The survey provides a review of the political, military and humanitarian dimensions of armed conflicts globally from May 2022 to June 2023.
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