The S⁴ Data Set

The S⁴ Data Set tracks attacks on security sector personnel and against civilians whom the state has armed. Collated information includes casualties suffered and those reported as missing or who are taken hostage, categories and quantities of materiel lost, security services attacked, location of incident, type of target, perpetrators, and relevant contextual information. The database allows governments, donors and regional organizations to determine priorities, assess risks, document diversion, establish trends, promote accountability, and improve good practice. 

As of December 2025, the S⁴ Data Set contained more than 2,500 attacks on security forces and non-state state-armed groups (NSSAGs) in some 20 countries. More than half the recorded events have occurred in the four riparian countries of the Lake Chad Basin region. This reflects S⁴'s research interests and is not representative of what is actually occurring on the ground. Only some ten per cent of these incidents are recorded in the web-based interactive map, three static maps, and a table documenting attacks on global peace operations (see Maps & Tables tab).