HIV, Population Mobility, and the Post-Conflict Nexus: Unpacking Complexity

As with many issues associated with the movement of people, linkages between mobility, HIV, conflict and post-conflict settings have often been based on conjecture rather than fact. Conflict was assumed to increase transmission of HIV, and displaced populations, refugees and armed forces were presumed to have higher HIV prevalence than host communities. However, recent evidence challenges these assumptions. This article explores the complex relationship between HIV and post-conflict settings, and considers if and how migrants and mobile populations – including returning refugees – are at increased risk of HIV acquisition in post-conflict settings.