THE TRIPLE BURDEN: HOW CLIMATE CHANGE AND ARMED CONFLICT UNDERMINE HEALTHY AGEING IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICATHE TRIPLE BURDEN: HOW CLIMATE CHANGE AND ARMED CONFLICT UNDERMINE HEALTHY AGEING IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

This narrative review examines the interlocking pathways by which climate change and armed conflict threaten each of the four action areas of the World Health Organisation's Decade of Healthy Ageing across Sub-Saharan Africa, where the population aged 60 and over is projected to nearly triple by 2050. Methods: Peer-reviewed literature, grey literature from United Nations agencies, HelpAge International reports, Africa Centre for Strategic Studies analyses, and Africa-specific public-health data published between 2010 and 2025 were synthesised. The Central Sahel, northern Ethiopia, and northern Mozambique form three case-study regions where climate and conflict have converged on older communities. Results: Five co-occurring mechanisms are identified: population displacement and elder abandonment; heat exposure intersecting with conflict-disrupted chronic disease care; agricultural shocks driving protein-energy malnutrition and sarcopenia; cumulative trauma compounded by the breakdown of mourning; and the loss of intergenerational adaptive knowledge. Older adults are the age group most affected, yet receive less than 1 per cent of humanitarian funding. Conclusion: The triple burden is multiplicative, not additive. Age-disaggregated data, inclusion in National Adaptation Plans, climate- and conflict-resilient chronic disease care, and recognition of elders as custodians of adaptive knowledge are required.