Abstract
The explosion of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the increase in numerous violent conflicts were, in the 1990s, two dominant features in sub-Saharan Africa. During the same period, Sub-Saharan Africa experienced an increase in conflict in many states. In fact, in this part of the continent, conflict and war situations doubled from 11 in 1989 to 22 in 2000 and 28 in 2002.
Without exaggeration, HIV/AIDS could be both a causal factor and an effect, since conflict situations create the ideal conditions for the spread of HIV/AIDS, which in turn feeds on situations of instability and conflict, increasing vulnerability to HIV and promoting its spread
AIDS, a major public health problem on a global scale, whose growing evolution and the sexual nature of its transmission, with no real therapeutic possibilities, has had an impact on international diplomacy and mobilized international political governance - the United Nations Security Council - while at the same time providing many actors with an opportunity for inter-community dialogue and peace-building in various African conflicts.
The impact of AIDS in Africa, at individual, community and socio-economic levels, on national cohesion and the balance of social and political forces, has made the health challenge a determining factor in security and inter-human and international relations.
