The impact of civil war on women and children in Africa

This chapter explores the impact of civil war on women and children. It assumes that women and children have agency and are not simply victims of war, and it focuses on the impact of civil war on combatants and noncombatants alike. After a brief introduction differentiating the effects of liberation struggles, interstate wars, and civil conflicts, the chapter focuses on civil wars, which are particularly destructive to society. In civil war, a group adopts a distinguishing identity (ethnic, religious, or political) and uses it to turn on its neighbors, disrupting more than the economy and polity. Identity conflicts have long-term consequences, no matter which side wins or whether a power-sharing solution is reached.