Youth Discontent, Repressive Regimes Make Africa More Violent in 2024: Experts

Analysts say economic stagnation and disenchantment with political elites are fueling conflict, crime, violence, and instability in Africa.

Kenyan anti-riot police officers are seen during an anti-government demonstration following nationwide deadly protests over tax hikes and a controversial now-withdrawn tax bill in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, on July 2, 2024. Kabir Dhanji/AFP via Getty Images

JOHANNESBURG—From north to south, east to west, Africa is riven with conflict to a degree last seen during the 1990s, when wars and genocide killed millions, according to groups monitoring violence on the continent.

After a series of coups, the military now governs four countries in the Sahel, the arid region that stretches from Mauritania in northwest Africa to Eritrea in the northeast.