Editing 2002 (section)

=== Internal conflicts ===
The [[Colombian conflict]] escalated after far-left insurgents occupied [[demilitarized zone]]s and kidnapped [[Íngrid Betancourt]], effectively ending peace talks. The insurgents began bombing cities, and over 200,000 Colombians were displaced by the conflict in 2002.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|pages=91–92}}

The [[Nepalese Civil War]] escalated in 2002, with casualties approximately equaling the combined totals from 1996 to 2001; half of this increase was civilian casualties, as civilians were targeted by both the Nepali government and the communist insurgents.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|pages=88–89}} Chechen insurgents in Russia escalated their attacks during the [[Second Chechen War]], [[2002 Khankala Mi-26 crash|destroying]] a Russian [[Mil Mi-26]] in August and causing a [[Moscow theater hostage crisis|hostage crisis]] in Moscow.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|pages=93–94}} The [[Second Liberian Civil War]] also escalated, causing widespread displacement of civilians.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |url=https://www.unmultimedia.org/searchers/yearbook/page_un2.jsp?volume=2002 |title=Yearbook of the United Nations, 2002 |publisher=United Nations |editor-last=Gordon |editor-first=Kathryn |volume=56 |access-date=March 28, 2023 |archive-date=March 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328235126/https://www.unmultimedia.org/searchers/yearbook/page_un2.jsp?volume=2002 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Rp|page=90}}

Conflicts that saw some form of resolution in 2002 include the [[Eelam War III]] in Sri Lanka, which was halted with a ceasefire agreement in February,<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=98}} and the [[Angolan Civil War]], which was resolved in April with a ceasefire between the Angolan government and [[UNITA]].<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=89}} Internationally brokered peace talks advanced in the [[Second Sudanese Civil War]],<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=102}} some factions of the [[Somali Civil War]],<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=106}} and the [[Second Congo War]], with the latter producing an agreement on December 17 to create [[Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|a Congolese transitional government]].<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|pages=100–101}} Afghanistan underwent its first year without direct military conflict in over two decades, though sporadic attacks were carried out by the [[Taliban insurgency]] and [[al-Qaeda]].<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=256}} An agreement was reached with the government of Burundi and the [[CNDD-FDD]] on December 3, but the other major faction in Burundi, the [[Palipehutu-FNL]], did not participate in peace talks.<ref name=":2" />

The largest attack on civilians in 2002 was [[2002 Bali bombings|a series of bombings]] in [[Bali]] that killed or injured hundreds on October 12, with Australian tourists making up a large portion of the victims.<ref name=":52" />{{Rp|page=228}} Major attacks also [[2002 Mombasa attacks|took place in Kenya]] on November 28, bombing Israeli citizens at a hotel and making a failed attempt to shoot down an airplane boarded by Israelis.<ref name=":16" />{{Rp|page=385}} The Washington D.C. area was the subject of [[D.C. sniper attacks|several sniper attacks]] the same month, killing ten people. Europe underwent a large number of [[mass shootings]] throughout the year, including [[Nanterre massacre|an attack]] on a town council meeting in France on March 27 that killed eight councilors and [[Erfurt school massacre|a school shooting]] in Germany on April 26—one of the deadliest in the world with 18 fatalities.<ref name=":52" />{{Rp|page=229}}