Introduction: HIV/AIDS and Post-Conflict Societies in Africa

This edition of International Peacekeeping explores HIV/AIDS and post-conflict societies in Africa. While there has been a great deal of interest in and research devoted to exploring the relationship between HIV/AIDS and conflict, the dynamics, spread and impact of the epidemic in post-conflict settings have received far less attention. Initial forecasts for the impact of HIV/AIDS on national and international peace and security were extremely gloomy. It was predicted that conflicts would significantly increase the spread of the epidemic, and that the epidemic itself could lead to conflict. These fears have not been realized.1 There are still concerns that various aspects of conflict environments contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS, and research continues to examine the nuances of the relationship between them. Research and thought on the much lesser explored nexus between HIV/AIDS and societies in the aftermath of conflict suggest that post-conflict contexts are both sites of particular vulnerability to HIV transmission and also of unique opportunities to address the epidemic.2 This issue assesses key aspects of post-conflict societies in Africa which contribute towards the spread and impact of the epidemic, such as poorly functioning national health systems, marginalization of vulnerable mobile populations, and rigidified gender norms. It places a particular emphasis throughout on practical approaches to addressing such challenges, and on innovative means of responding to the epidemic during the periods of opportunity that post-conflict settings provide. The volume also analyses the responses to the epidemic of African actors such as national health systems and grassroots women's groups, as well as those of Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR) and Security Sector Reform (SSR) processes on the continent; and, finally, the responses of international actors.