Water is no longer simply an essential resource – it has become a trigger for violence, displacement, and despair across Africa. From neighbours turning on each other to entire communities uprooted overnight, the fight for water is becoming a fight for survival.
Humanitarian experts attending the 2025 AidEx Nairobi summit warned that unless urgent action is taken, water-related conflicts in Africa could soar nearly 20 times the current rate.
A deadly competition for survival
Addressing the summit, Maria Pinzon, Global Manager for Water Systems Strengthening at the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) said:
“There were 347 water conflicts globally in 2023, with 56 occurring in sub-Saharan Africa alone, up from 44 the previous year. If nothing changes, we’re looking at over 1,000 water-related conflicts per year across Africa by the mid-century.”
In regions already battered by war and climate extremes, water scarcity is fueling desperation and driving people to commit acts they might once have considered unthinkable. Killings, livestock raids, the torching of homes – these are no longer isolated events but growing patterns in a continent where access to safe water is becoming a flashpoint.
“We have documented cases of people attacking and killing neighbours, slaughtering livestock, and destroying crops and homes, all for access to water,” explained Pinzon.
How war and climate change intensify water conflict
War
Armed conflicts dramatically accelerate water-related tensions. People living in conflict zones are six times more likely to lack access to basic water services than those in peaceful areas, according to Dr. Omar El Hattab, Senior WASH Advisor at the United Nations Office in Nairobi.
“The Democratic Republic of Congo exemplifies this cycle. Access to piped water has plummeted from 38% in 2015 to just 17% today as years of conflict have destroyed infrastructure,” he commented.
“Three factors make water a flashpoint during conflict – the deliberate destruction of infrastructure, insecurity that blocks access to existing sources, and the weaponization of water through contamination,” said Filipa Anacoreta Correia, Deputy Head of the Water Unit at the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“In Sudan, for instance, militias have reportedly poisoned water and dismantled water pumps to forcibly displace entire communities, transforming a basic necessity into an instrument of war,” she argued.
Climate change
Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns are intensifying water conflicts across the continent’s most fragile regions. In northern Kenya and Somalia, prolonged droughts have forced pastoralist communities into year-round migration along nine shared corridors between the two countries.
“Migration has always existed, but climate change has dramatically increased movement between northern Kenya and Somalia,” commented Tullu Roba, Program Advisor for Food Systems and Climate Change at the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation. “More people are converging on fewer water points, and that’s escalating tensions into violent clashes.”
This water conflict pattern is repeating across the Sahel and parts of southern Africa, where unpredictable weather patterns are rendering traditional water systems, like seasonal rain harvesting and migratory grazing routes, increasingly unreliable.
Turning competition into cooperation
Despite the alarming rise in conflicts over water, experts stress that this violence is not inevitable. Across Africa, innovative programs are demonstrating that competition for scarce resources can be transformed into opportunities for collaboration and peacebuilding.
“Each area has its own culture, needs, and environmental pressures. That diversity must shape how we manage our shared water resources,” Roba emphasized.
Community-led initiatives show particular promise. In areas where local populations have direct control over water points, tensions have measurably decreased.
“We have seen that when people manage water themselves, they are less likely to fight over it,” Roba noted. “Decisions reflect local needs and traditions, while enforcement becomes community-driven.”
At the regional level, cooperation remains fragile but is steadily expanding. The Nile Basin Initiative, Senegal River Basin Organisation, and Lake Chad Basin Commission now enable neighboring states to coordinate the use of shared water resources, a significant shift in a region where water politics have historically bred hostility.
Additionally, humanitarian agencies are scaling up community-based water diplomacy programs. These train traditional leaders, women’s groups, and youth representatives to prevent minor disputes from escalating into large-scale crises, Roba explained.
Pinzon revealed that the IFRC, in collaboration with the Geneva Water Hub, has developed a three-phase conflict prevention model that is now being piloted in over 10 countries. The phases are:
- Understand: Analyze local water systems to pinpoint areas at risk of conflict
- Train: Equip communities with mediation and dispute management skills
- Mobilize: Channel investments into water systems to address scarcity and defuse potential tensions.
About AidEx Nairobi 2025 summit
Held June 11–12 in Nairobi, AidEx Nairobi 2025 brought together over 500 humanitarian professionals across Africa and beyond. Under the theme “Future-Proofing Humanitarian and Development Assistance: Reimagining Partnerships, Innovation, and Locally Led Solutions to Build Resilience Across East Africa,” the summit featured high-level panels and practical discussions that focused on shaping the future of aid through regional collaboration and adaptive strategies.
Participants included representatives from UN agencies, regional NGOs, international NGOs, Red Cross societies, donors, and the private sector.
