Insecurity Insight’s data concerning attacks on health workers and facilities collected for the SHCC is analysed in the Coalition’s annual report. The following paragraphs summarise the latest report issued in 2024 and covering attacks on health care in conflict in 2023. Insecurity Insight also issues regular news briefs providing information on reported attacks on health care in conflict from open source monitoring and partner contributions. Additionally, Insecurity Insight has produced a handbook on security risk management for health care services in conflict settings and reports on explosive weapons impacting health care. These can be found below on this page.

Critical Condition: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict

In 2023, the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) documented 2,562 incidents of violence against or obstruction of health care in conflicts across 30 countries or regions within countries, or territories – over 500 more than in 2022, which constitutes a 25% increase. The increase was in part a product of intense and persistent violence against health care in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), Myanmar, Sudan, and Ukraine. On average, health care was attacked seven times every day, and these attacks took place at a time when tens of millions of people in conflict-affected countries were already suffering from war, massive displacement, and staggering deprivation of food and other basic needs.

The report includes detailed profiles of 20 countries and territories where many acts of violence against health care took place. These include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Haiti, Israel, Mali, India (Manipur state only), Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, the oPt, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.