Mauritius ranked most peaceful country in Africa

Mauritians celebrate Abolition of Slavery Day at Grand Baie public beach, Mauritius, February 1, 2020. /CFP

The 2021 Global Peace Index report by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) has ranked Mauritius as the most peaceful nation in Africa.

According to the world's leading measure of global peacefulness, Ghana came in second.

One hundred and sixty-three independent states and territories were ranked by the index with Mauritius ranking 28th, Ghana 38th, and Botswana 41st in the world.

Nigeria ranked 146th behind Togo, Uganda, Kenya, the Republic of Congo, and Cameroon.

Iceland continues to be the most peaceful country in the world with Afghanistan being the least peaceful country in the world for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and Iraq.

According to the report, North America saw the largest deterioration in the index, which was fueled by the nationwide protests following George Floyd's murder in the U.S. in April 2020 and the infamous storming of the Capitol in January 2021.