Published August 22, 2012 | By Amelia Whitehead

The Central African Republic faces a number of obstacles to its development. Fighting between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and government forces continues, causing the number of displaced persons in the region to swell. The United States and the European Union have increasingly recognized the threat posed by the LRA to central African stability, and in December 2011 agreed to provide the Bozize government with additional assistance in combating the rebels. The signing of peace accords with various rebel groups in 2011 significantly decreased the level of violence in the country; however, the country’s growth rates continue to lag due to the lack of basic infrastructure.

Published June 18, 2012 | By T. Anderson, R. Jaeger, F. Umaña, N. Manning, A. Whitehead.

1. Somalia As the situation in Somalia continued to deteriorate in 2011, the country remains at the top of the Failed States Index for the fifth year in succession. Ten out of twelve of Somalia’s indicators scores were above 9.0 on a scale of 10. Indeed, the Refugees and IDPs as well as the Security Apparatus indicator scores remain at the highest possible level of 10.0. The absence of a permanent national government for twenty years was aggravated in 2011 by an upsurge of violence, massive human rights abuses and natural disasters. Worsened social conditions have added to political instability which led to mass displacement and impoverishment. Somalia also continues to be a relentless headache for international shipping, with the unrelenting activities of Somali pirates deep into the Indian Ocean. Despite attempts by external actors such as the African Union and neighboring Kenya to intervene in the conflict, terrorist activity by al-Shabaab and general unabating lawlessness has hampered such efforts.
—Raphaël Jaeger

Published November 12, 2011 | By Kristen Blandford

The Central African Republic remains one of the least stable countries in the world, with spillover from neighboring conflicts likely to continue to destabilize the area. The country’s economy has stagnated under poor policies since independence. A history of coups d’etat has destabilized the government and allowed the rest of the country to fall into disorder. The government is unable to exert any substantive control over the more remote provinces and poor infrastructure prevents effective rule within the areas the government does control. A truce between the government and rebel forces in June 2008 led to the establishment of a more inclusive coalition government in January 2009. However, the postponement by almost a year of elections originally scheduled for early 2010 has undermined trust in the government and highlighted problems with the country’s political polarization.

June 20, 2011
By Kristen Blandford, Annie Janus and Kendall Lawrence
The Failed States Index

1. Somalia

On this year’s Failed States Index, Somalia scored as the worst offender for Refugees and IDPs, Economic Decline, Human rights and Security Apparatus. The absence of a permanent national government for almost twenty years has led to ongoing civil violence, economic hardship, poor social conditions, and the displacement of several million Somali citizens. It has become increasingly difficult for international agencies to provide aid to Somalia in light of the recent troubles with piracy and hostility towards foreigners. An upsurge of civil violence in the southern part of the nation has created further destabilization and threatens any potential improvements to Somalia’s condition.