Disaster resilience in conflict-affected areas: a review of how armed conflicts impact disaster resilience

Abstract

The geographic overlap between disasters and armed conflict is substantial, making disaster resilience intrinsically linked to conflict exposure. Despite this, there is only a very small literature investigating how armed conflict impacts disaster risk and resilience in affected areas. This article reviews the most recent literature on armed conflict and disaster resilience and shows that while disasters can increase the risk of violent outcomes in contexts where governments and populations are particularly vulnerable to their impacts, these very features are also influenced by the presence of armed conflict. Thus, the relationship is circular, and conflict and disaster risk reinforce each other, and should not be dealt with separately. The review provides an overview for scholars and practitioners who wish to assess the current understanding of how disasters and conflicts impact affected communities’ resilience.