The most dangerous places in the world are mostly located in failed states. Five of them are located in Asia (mostly in the Middle East) , three in the American Continent and 2 in Africa. These states are unable to assure basic security for their citizens. Still other factors such as low-intensity conflicts, drug wars , terrorism or lack of gun control are also factors making this list exhaustive and not only about war-torn countries. In this Top 10 of Most dangerous countries in the world :

1/ Syria

Syria used to be a stable dictatorship before the Arab Spring. The country then turned into a fight between Sunnis and Shias and has become a battlefield for Iran and Saudi Arabia, the US and Russia. Each one performing a proxy war on Syrian territory. The regime of Bashar Al Assad is shelling cities using mortars, bombs, tanks, helicopters and jet fighters! Scud missiles are used too to hit civilians, needless to remind you of the chemical weapons which have been used too! The regime is fighting rebels inside and outside cities.

ISIS the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world has also conquered most of syrian desert and established its headquarters in Ar-Raqqah in Northern Syria. This group and other rebels group such as Al Nusra are regularly kidnapping foreigners and aid workers. The conflict killed between 300,000 to 500,000 Syrians. Mostly Civilians.

2/ Afghanistan

Aghanistan is a war torn country since decades , even prior American intervention in 2001. The country is plagued by religious extremi
sm and the resilience of the Taliban. Al-Qaeda has its headquarters there in the mountainous region of Bora Bora. As of 2017, thousands have been killed by American Operations on the ground , notably from drones airstrikes.

3/ Irak

Iraq has been affected by the Iraq War that lasted almost 9 years after the American intervention in 2003 to remove Saddam Hussein from power. It officially ended in December 2011 but the country has been threshing about conflicts up to present. Currently, the main problem in Iraq is the Islamic State that keeps expanding and taking over large areas of the country’s north including the provincial capitals of Mosul or Tikrit. Iraqi Army has been able to recapture half of Mossul . Ramadi, Tikrit and most of Northern Iraq as of March 2017.

4/ Somalia

After the fall of Siad Barre in 1991 , without strong leader. the Somali Civil War started and is lasting. In the course of time, many different factions, armed rebel groups and clan-based armed organizations have joined the conflict, competing for influence in the country. The war has claimed hundreds of thousands casualties so far. One of the main problem of the country is maritime piracy in the waters in the Horn of Africa. Somali pirates have been able to capture large vessels and even oil tankers, making it a threat for world trade. The country has divided into three distinct regions : Somaliland , Puntland and “State of Somalia”. Al-Shabab a deadly jihadist organization linked to Al -Qaeda has established its headquarters in Somalian soil and has triggered a Kenyan intervention under the AMISOM flag. Al-Shabab has performed dozens of terror attacksin Somalia and in neighboring Kenya. The civil war has claimed hundreds of thousands casualties so far.

5/ North Korea

North Korea is known has having one of the worst human rights records in the world. Little is known about North Koreans prisons since the country is totally closed. The North Korean population is stricly managed by the communist regime. The state controls all aspects of Koreans daily life. The whole country is subordinated to the party and its state planning. Some Human rights NGOs such as Amnesty International also reports of severe restrictions on basic freedoms such freedom of association, expression and movement, arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment resulting in death, and executions.

6/ Pakistan

Since Pakistan got his independance, the country fought many wars and skirmishes with Indian Armed Forces. The political history of Pakistan is characterized by periods of military rule , political instability and conflicts with neighbors. The country intelligence services are closely linked to the Talibans and Al-Qaeda. Pakistan has been hit these last years by a waves of suicide terror attacks . Also its minorities have been under attack constantly in 2016. On top of that the country continues to face challenging problems, including overpopulation, terrorism, poverty, illiteracy, corruption and it ranks among the countries with the most income inequality.

7/ Mexico

Crime is among the most urgent concerns facing Mexico, as Mexican drug trafficking rings play a major role in the flow of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana between Latin America and the United States. Consequently, drug trafficking and organized crime have been a major source of violent crimes in Mexico. The problem is so important that the army has replaced the police in the street, mainly because the police is seen as corrupted. But the main problem are kidnappings. Indeed every year thousands of people are kidnapped and families need to pay ransoms. The best example of corruption and kidnapping was when 43 Mexicans students were murdered by a cartel after being tortured and handed over by the police in Iguala in 2014. These provoked a waves of protests around the country.

8/ South Africa

South Africa is Africa’s richest country. Still the country ranks among ranks among the countries with the most income inequality. As a consquence the country is known to have an incredibly high number of crimes. Most white families lives armed , with 2 meters high walls with electrice fences, all necessities to avoid being attacked by armed men in the middle of the night. In Johannesburg , most white people and middle class citizens cannot walk on the street because it is considered dangerous. It is not the case in the whole country though.

9/ Honduras

Honduras is an independant country located in central America. The country is plagued by drug trafficking and poverty. Honduras has the highest rate of killing in the world , making it on the paper more dangerous than Iraq or Afghanistan! Highest homicides per person, In the top ten cities with most murders, 3 of them were in Honduras. You are 14 more times likely to get murdered in Honduras than UK. Not all are parts of the country are that dangerous but San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa are dangerous. Still the crimes decreased since 2014 thanks to educational programs coupled with police effective work.

10/ United States

United States has seen these recents years a surge in criminal events. These events involved police , gangs or cartels. School shootings and terror attacks have took place these recents years. Will that change with the new President Donald Trump?