Searching for Holistic Approaches to Protect Water in Relation to Armed Conflict
Publisher: Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law
Author(s): Mara Tignino and Britta Sjöstedt
Date: 2020
Topics: Conflict Prevention, Cooperation, Governance, Renewable Resources
The relation between water and armed conflict is complex. Water scarcity can have destabilizing effects and exacerbate existing tensions within and between countries. It can even contribute to the outbreak of an armed conflict, in particular in dry and semi-dry areas, such as the Sahel area, Middle East and East Africa. For instance, prior to the outbreak of the armed conflict in Syria, several years of drought had been experienced, causing massive movements of people from the countryside to cities where they faced unemployment and poverty, which is claimed to have sparked the conflict. Water scarcity as such may not necessarily lead to conflict, but in many places there is evidence of increased cooperation to overcome water crises, for instance in the case of the Senegal river basin with the establishment of the Senegal River Development Organization. Yet, war-torn countries that have weak governance systems or that are in the process of rebuilding their legal and institutional frameworks are much more fragile and exposed to the risk of outbreak of conflicts. In such cases, water-related crises could contribute to the outbreak of an armed conflict.