Climate change amplifies risks of violent conflicts in Africa

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines how climate change acts as a threat multiplier in Africa, exacerbating food insecurity, resource competition, and displacement, which in turn increase the risk of violent conflict.

• Climate change functions as a 'threat multiplier' for Africa by increasing water and food insecurity, destroying livelihoods, and putting additional pressure on natural resources, which leads to more human displacements linked to climate.
• Food insecurity is a primary driver of social tension and violence in Africa. In 2020, Africa was the most affected continent by food crises, driven by a combination of economic shocks (including Covid-19), weather extremes, and conflict.
• Competition for water, land, and pasture has increased violent conflicts between crop farmers and herders, particularly in the Horn of Africa and the Sahelian belt. A specific example is the region around Lake Chad, which has lost 90% of its water due to climate change, overuse, and drought, sparking resource-based conflicts.
• Political instability and disasters have increased the number of refugees and internally displaced persons. In 2020, approximately 27% of the 40.5 million newly displaced people globally were located in sub-Saharan Africa.
• The African Union's Peace and Security Council has called for a 'climate-security-development nexus' to integrate climate-sensitive planning into development, peacekeeping, and post-conflict reconstruction to prevent a return to armed conflict in fragile areas.

APA

Osano, P. (2022). Climate change amplifies risks of violent conflicts in Africa. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/climate-change-amplifies-risks-violent-conflicts-africa

Chicago

Osano, Philip. Climate change amplifies risks of violent conflicts in Africa. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2022. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/climate-change-amplifies-risks-violent-conflicts-africa.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Osano |first1=Philip |title=Climate change amplifies risks of violent conflicts in Africa |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=10 January 2022 |url=https://www.sei.org/perspectives/climate-change-amplifies-risks-violent-conflicts-africa |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{osano2022climate, author = {Osano, Philip}, title = {{Climate change amplifies risks of violent conflicts in Africa}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sei.org/perspectives/climate-change-amplifies-risks-violent-conflicts-africa}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }