Victims and Venues: The Criminology of Targeted and Unintended Armed Violence

• In Event: Violent Crime and Racial Segregation: Predictors and Collateral Consequences

Abstract

Militant groups in Africa launch attacks that harm not only their intended targets but also bystanders, tearing apart communities and destabilizing entire regions. This study examines both the victims—those deliberately targeted and those caught in the chaos—and the locations where these attacks take place, including bustling cities, remote villages, places of worship, schools, healthcare facilities, and government sites. Using more than six years of security data, authoritative reports, and scholarly research, this study uncovers patterns in attack locations and victim demographics, offering new insights into the scale and strategy behind these assaults. By contributing to criminological scholarship, it explores the relationship between attack site selection and broader security challenges. The findings reveal critical gaps in victim protection, urban and rural security planning, and counterterrorism responses, highlighting the urgent need for policymakers to strengthen security in high-risk areas, enhance community resilience, and build capacity within the security sector. This research advances global criminology debates by providing evidence-based recommendations to reduce the human and infrastructural toll of transnational terrorism networks and proxies.

Author

• Pearl Matibe, George Mason University