Managing HIV/AIDS in Peace Support Operations in Africa

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the problem of HIV/AIDS, and efforts to manage it, in peace support operations in Africa, with a focus on the national militaries of some key African troop-contributing countries. It looks at various initiatives for, and challenges in, managing the spread of HIV/AIDS at the national, regional, and continental levels in the context of peacekeeping in Africa. The chapter calls attention to military personnel as a high-risk group for HIV infection, highlighting the role of peacekeepers as a vector for the spread of the disease to and from local populations, and to their families and communities upon return from duty, but also their potential as agents of change in preventing its spread. It concludes with several concrete recommendations for stakeholders at different levels to guide more effective management of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in national militaries and peace support operations in Africa.