This INSO report analyses data from across 16 high-risk countries where INSO had a field presence, providing an overview of abductions based on region, perpetrating actor, and motivation, alongside recommendations and contexts to watch for 2024.

In 2023 INSO recorded 60 abduction incidents affecting 146 NGO staff across 15 countries. This is a decrease from the 191 NGO staff abducted in 2022. Of all abduction incidents, 45% were related to national NGOs, and 17% were directly related to NGO programming, with an equal percentage within that affecting national and international NGOs.

In previous years, the Sahel region has seen a steady increase in abduction numbers, especially following a dramatic rise in 2021 and 2022. Although the Sahel region experienced a high number of incidents, the frequency of abductions decreased in 2023, including in Mali and Burkina Faso. This trend seems to correlate more with the reduction in humanitarian operations in the area rather than an improvement in the overall situation.