Wolfram Lacher
@wlacher.bsky.social
Political scientist with a longstanding interest in violent conflict, Libya and the Sahel. Author, Libya's Fragmentation; co-editor, Violence and Social Transformation in Libya. Views my own.
https://www.swp-berlin.org/en/researcher/wolfram-lacher
https://www.swp-berlin.org/en/researcher/wolfram-lacher
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
What’s it like for our staff to return to #Gaza City?
Zaher and Sami, MSF nurses, were forced to flee during an Israeli offensive. Now, they’re back and recount their return to a city reduced to rubble.
Despite everything, they’ve resumed their work in two health facilities.
Zaher and Sami, MSF nurses, were forced to flee during an Israeli offensive. Now, they’re back and recount their return to a city reduced to rubble.
Despite everything, they’ve resumed their work in two health facilities.
November 27, 2025 at 2:05 PM
What’s it like for our staff to return to #Gaza City?
Zaher and Sami, MSF nurses, were forced to flee during an Israeli offensive. Now, they’re back and recount their return to a city reduced to rubble.
Despite everything, they’ve resumed their work in two health facilities.
Zaher and Sami, MSF nurses, were forced to flee during an Israeli offensive. Now, they’re back and recount their return to a city reduced to rubble.
Despite everything, they’ve resumed their work in two health facilities.
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Power shift in #Africa: Since 2019, the US has withdrawn over half of its military support (training, logistics and equipment). Meanwhile, Turkey, the UAE, Russia and China have steadily expanded their #military ties across the continent.
More on foreign military support in Africa: t1p.de/vrprt
More on foreign military support in Africa: t1p.de/vrprt
November 27, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Power shift in #Africa: Since 2019, the US has withdrawn over half of its military support (training, logistics and equipment). Meanwhile, Turkey, the UAE, Russia and China have steadily expanded their #military ties across the continent.
More on foreign military support in Africa: t1p.de/vrprt
More on foreign military support in Africa: t1p.de/vrprt
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Turkey continues its ambiguous policy toward #Russia, remaining the only #NATO country that allows Moscow’s military aircraft to use its airspace.
www.itamilradar.com/2025/11/26/a...
www.itamilradar.com/2025/11/26/a...
Another Russian Air Force Flight Crosses Turkish Airspace En Route to Libya
A Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-62M (registration RA-86572, flying as RFF7244) has carried out a long transfer flight from Russia to eastern Libya earlier today. The aircraft crossed the Black Sea, en...
www.itamilradar.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Turkey continues its ambiguous policy toward #Russia, remaining the only #NATO country that allows Moscow’s military aircraft to use its airspace.
www.itamilradar.com/2025/11/26/a...
www.itamilradar.com/2025/11/26/a...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Merz’ Treffen mit Premierminister Netanjahu wird ein Präzedenzfall: Noch nie zuvor hat ein deutscher Bundeskanzler einen vom IStGH wegen mutmaßlicher Kriegsverbrechen mit Haftbefehl gesuchten Regierungschef besucht.
www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_ent...
www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_ent...
Merz to visit Israel for first time as German chancellor next month
* * *
www.timesofisrael.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Merz’ Treffen mit Premierminister Netanjahu wird ein Präzedenzfall: Noch nie zuvor hat ein deutscher Bundeskanzler einen vom IStGH wegen mutmaßlicher Kriegsverbrechen mit Haftbefehl gesuchten Regierungschef besucht.
www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_ent...
www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_ent...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Le Monde has published an interview with French ICC judge Nicolas Guillou about the practicalities of being sanctioned by the US and the failure of states to stand up to this assault on the rule of law.
www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
A thread with some quotations:
www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
A thread with some quotations:
La vie de Nicolas Guillou, juge français de la CPI sous sanctions des Etats-Unis : « Vous êtes interdit bancaire sur une bonne partie de la planète »
Six juges et trois procureurs de la Cour pénale internationale ont été placés sous sanctions par l’administration Trump. Dans un entretien au « Monde », le magistrat raconte le poids de ces mesures su...
www.lemonde.fr
November 20, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Le Monde has published an interview with French ICC judge Nicolas Guillou about the practicalities of being sanctioned by the US and the failure of states to stand up to this assault on the rule of law.
www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
A thread with some quotations:
www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
A thread with some quotations:
Deutsche Gewehre in den Händen der RSF könnten über die VAE in den Sudan gelangt sein. Überraschend wäre das nicht, denn bereits 2019 lieferten die VAE nachweislich Pantsir-Luftabwehrsysteme auf MAN-Trucks an Haftar in Libyen:
www.stern.de/politik/ausl...
www.stern.de/politik/ausl...
REPORT MAINZ: Deutsche Gewehre im Sudan - europäische Waffen für die Rebellen? - hier anschauen
Im Sudan tobt ein brutaler Bürgerkrieg. Bildmaterial, das REPORT MAINZ ausgewertet hat, deuten nun darauf hin: Im Konflikt könnten deutsche Waffen und Technik im Einsatz sein – trotz EU-Embargo.
www.ardmediathek.de
November 20, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Deutsche Gewehre in den Händen der RSF könnten über die VAE in den Sudan gelangt sein. Überraschend wäre das nicht, denn bereits 2019 lieferten die VAE nachweislich Pantsir-Luftabwehrsysteme auf MAN-Trucks an Haftar in Libyen:
www.stern.de/politik/ausl...
www.stern.de/politik/ausl...
Solid report by @thesentryorg.bsky.social on Libya's fuel smuggling boom, which rightly points at Saddam #Haftar as "the primary force behind the surge in fuel smuggling", produces credible estimates of its huge cost, and traces its transnational role, incl in #Sudan.
thesentry.org/reports/insi...
thesentry.org/reports/insi...
Inside Job - The Sentry
November 2025 Download the full report Fuel smuggling in Libya has escalated into a major national crisis, costing the country about $6.7 billion per year. Although fuel smuggling has long been one o...
thesentry.org
November 19, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Solid report by @thesentryorg.bsky.social on Libya's fuel smuggling boom, which rightly points at Saddam #Haftar as "the primary force behind the surge in fuel smuggling", produces credible estimates of its huge cost, and traces its transnational role, incl in #Sudan.
thesentry.org/reports/insi...
thesentry.org/reports/insi...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
My longread from the latest edition of our mag about the razing of Gaza in this war. One man who grew up in Rafah, the city in southern Gaza that has been largely destroyed, told me this: “you can say you miss your city if it still exists. It’s gone, you know”
“Soldiers testify that they have been told to burn down houses they have stayed in by pouring oil on curtains, books and mattresses.”
Read @aloner.bsky.social’s report on the destruction of Gaza’s cities.
Read @aloner.bsky.social’s report on the destruction of Gaza’s cities.
‘The directive was nothing left’: How Gaza’s cities were destroyed
Israel has razed large parts of the Gaza Strip since the war began in October 2023. The evidence points to systemic destruction
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
November 19, 2025 at 10:01 AM
My longread from the latest edition of our mag about the razing of Gaza in this war. One man who grew up in Rafah, the city in southern Gaza that has been largely destroyed, told me this: “you can say you miss your city if it still exists. It’s gone, you know”
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
„The Targeting of the Palestinian Academy“ sollte eine wissenschaftliche Konferenz an der @lmumuenchen.bsky.social heissen. Die Universität hat beschlossen, dieses Targeting selbst aktiv zu unterstützen. Ein Skandal. 1/
November 17, 2025 at 11:42 PM
„The Targeting of the Palestinian Academy“ sollte eine wissenschaftliche Konferenz an der @lmumuenchen.bsky.social heissen. Die Universität hat beschlossen, dieses Targeting selbst aktiv zu unterstützen. Ein Skandal. 1/
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Aufgewacht und wieder drei Eingriffe in die grundgesetzlich verbriefte Wissenschaftsfreiheit und Kunstfreiheit gesehen.
Wer das toleriert - immer noch, seit über zwei Jahren fortlaufend und sehenden Auges -, veräußert jetzt und in diesem Moment die eigenen Rechte.
archive.is/2RGEj
Wer das toleriert - immer noch, seit über zwei Jahren fortlaufend und sehenden Auges -, veräußert jetzt und in diesem Moment die eigenen Rechte.
archive.is/2RGEj
München: LMU sagt nach heftiger Kritik Nahost-Veranstaltung ab
Jüdische Wissenschaftler und die Landtags-CSU befürchteten eine antisemitische Vortragsreihe. Nun hat das LMU-Präsidium reagiert.
www.sueddeutsche.de
November 18, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Aufgewacht und wieder drei Eingriffe in die grundgesetzlich verbriefte Wissenschaftsfreiheit und Kunstfreiheit gesehen.
Wer das toleriert - immer noch, seit über zwei Jahren fortlaufend und sehenden Auges -, veräußert jetzt und in diesem Moment die eigenen Rechte.
archive.is/2RGEj
Wer das toleriert - immer noch, seit über zwei Jahren fortlaufend und sehenden Auges -, veräußert jetzt und in diesem Moment die eigenen Rechte.
archive.is/2RGEj
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
„Diese Absage ist nicht nur ein Rückschlag für den akademischen Diskurs über palästinensische Wissenschaft im Kontext schwerster Völkerrechtsverletzungen, sie wirft zugleich fundamentale Fragen nach Wissenschaftsfreiheit, institutionellem Rassismus & universitärem Selbstverständnis auf.“
Here is the joint statement by @krisolwissenschaft.bsky.social, the German Middle Eastern Associations (DAVO) Committee on Academic Freedom and the Association of Palestinian and Jewish Academics on the cancellation of the event: "The Targeting of the Palestinian Academia" @lmumuenchen.bsky.social
November 18, 2025 at 4:53 PM
„Diese Absage ist nicht nur ein Rückschlag für den akademischen Diskurs über palästinensische Wissenschaft im Kontext schwerster Völkerrechtsverletzungen, sie wirft zugleich fundamentale Fragen nach Wissenschaftsfreiheit, institutionellem Rassismus & universitärem Selbstverständnis auf.“
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Ammunition from #Bulgaria, equipment from #France appeared in #RSF hands in #Darfur #Sudan via #UnitedArabEmirates. But @eudiplomacy.bsky.social silence on UAE's role allows impunity.
Time for EU to step up response to UN embargo violations.
www.politico.eu/article/suda... @laukaya.bsky.social
Time for EU to step up response to UN embargo violations.
www.politico.eu/article/suda... @laukaya.bsky.social
Sudan urges EU: Stop selling arms to UAE amid massacre claims
“Those weapons were not intended for third-party use,” Sudan’s top envoy in Brussels tells POLITICO, as a paramilitary group stands accused of committing atrocities in the country’s civ…
www.politico.eu
November 17, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Ammunition from #Bulgaria, equipment from #France appeared in #RSF hands in #Darfur #Sudan via #UnitedArabEmirates. But @eudiplomacy.bsky.social silence on UAE's role allows impunity.
Time for EU to step up response to UN embargo violations.
www.politico.eu/article/suda... @laukaya.bsky.social
Time for EU to step up response to UN embargo violations.
www.politico.eu/article/suda... @laukaya.bsky.social
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Lisez, lisez!
Vers l’État-archipel au Sahel - AOC media
Le Groupe de soutien à l’Islam et aux Musulmans (JNIM) est aujourd’hui aux portes de Bamako, et il gouverne une bonne partie de l’hinterland malien et burkinabè ainsi que l’ouest du Niger. Le JNIM a s...
aoc.media
November 17, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Lisez, lisez!
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
#UN peacekeeping resources in #Africa have declined sharply since the 2014–15 peak. Uniformed #personnel dropped by nearly two-thirds, and the annual #budget was cut by more than half.
Read more on the shifting landscape of foreign intervention in Africa, here: t1p.de/vrprt
Read more on the shifting landscape of foreign intervention in Africa, here: t1p.de/vrprt
November 17, 2025 at 8:19 AM
#UN peacekeeping resources in #Africa have declined sharply since the 2014–15 peak. Uniformed #personnel dropped by nearly two-thirds, and the annual #budget was cut by more than half.
Read more on the shifting landscape of foreign intervention in Africa, here: t1p.de/vrprt
Read more on the shifting landscape of foreign intervention in Africa, here: t1p.de/vrprt
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Amnesty International fordert mehr Druck auf die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate im Sudankrieg 👇🏼
www.zeit.de/politik/deut...
www.zeit.de/politik/deut...
Krieg im Sudan: Amnesty fordert mehr Druck auf Arabische Emirate im Sudankrieg
Die Regierung soll mehr Druck auf die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate ausüben. Das fordern Amnesty International und die Grünen wegen der Rolle des Staats im Sudankrieg.
www.zeit.de
November 16, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Amnesty International fordert mehr Druck auf die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate im Sudankrieg 👇🏼
www.zeit.de/politik/deut...
www.zeit.de/politik/deut...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
"Israeli soldiers . described a free-for-all in Gaza and a breakdown in norms and legal constraints, with civilians killed at the whim of individual officers"
“If you want to shoot without restraint, you can,” [says] Daniel, the commander of an [IDF] tank unit"
“If you want to shoot without restraint, you can,” [says] Daniel, the commander of an [IDF] tank unit"
November 10, 2025 at 12:28 PM
"Israeli soldiers . described a free-for-all in Gaza and a breakdown in norms and legal constraints, with civilians killed at the whim of individual officers"
“If you want to shoot without restraint, you can,” [says] Daniel, the commander of an [IDF] tank unit"
“If you want to shoot without restraint, you can,” [says] Daniel, the commander of an [IDF] tank unit"
UAE: More than ever a hub for conflict gold.
"In 2024, the UAE imported 29 tonnes of gold directly from Sudan, up from 17 tonnes in 2023, along with significant quantities transiting through Egypt, Chad, and Libya. These last two countries serve as ‘exit points’ for gold controlled by the RSF."
"In 2024, the UAE imported 29 tonnes of gold directly from Sudan, up from 17 tonnes in 2023, along with significant quantities transiting through Egypt, Chad, and Libya. These last two countries serve as ‘exit points’ for gold controlled by the RSF."
United Arab Emirates: More Than Ever a Hub for Conflict Gold - Swissaid
www.swissaid.ch
November 6, 2025 at 2:19 PM
UAE: More than ever a hub for conflict gold.
"In 2024, the UAE imported 29 tonnes of gold directly from Sudan, up from 17 tonnes in 2023, along with significant quantities transiting through Egypt, Chad, and Libya. These last two countries serve as ‘exit points’ for gold controlled by the RSF."
"In 2024, the UAE imported 29 tonnes of gold directly from Sudan, up from 17 tonnes in 2023, along with significant quantities transiting through Egypt, Chad, and Libya. These last two countries serve as ‘exit points’ for gold controlled by the RSF."
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
The #UAE brings in Columbian mercenaries to support the #RSF. The Global Security Services Group handles these deployments, and is linked to high-level officials in Abu Dhabi, as The Sentry underlines.
#Sudan
thesentry.org/wp-content/u...
#Sudan
thesentry.org/wp-content/u...
thesentry.org
November 5, 2025 at 8:27 PM
The #UAE brings in Columbian mercenaries to support the #RSF. The Global Security Services Group handles these deployments, and is linked to high-level officials in Abu Dhabi, as The Sentry underlines.
#Sudan
thesentry.org/wp-content/u...
#Sudan
thesentry.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Africa’s #conflicts reflect a new era of #multipolarity:
UN peacekeeping, Western-led counterterrorism and EU training decline since the mid-2000s, while Russia, Turkey and the UAE increasingly engage through mercenaries, drones and military aid.
Read more in our spotlight 📃 t1p.de/83zfu
UN peacekeeping, Western-led counterterrorism and EU training decline since the mid-2000s, while Russia, Turkey and the UAE increasingly engage through mercenaries, drones and military aid.
Read more in our spotlight 📃 t1p.de/83zfu
The Changing Face of Foreign Intervention in African Conflicts
This spotlight examines how security partnerships have evolved amid a new multipolarity, illustrating shifts in external intervention in...
www.megatrends-afrika.de
November 5, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Africa’s #conflicts reflect a new era of #multipolarity:
UN peacekeeping, Western-led counterterrorism and EU training decline since the mid-2000s, while Russia, Turkey and the UAE increasingly engage through mercenaries, drones and military aid.
Read more in our spotlight 📃 t1p.de/83zfu
UN peacekeeping, Western-led counterterrorism and EU training decline since the mid-2000s, while Russia, Turkey and the UAE increasingly engage through mercenaries, drones and military aid.
Read more in our spotlight 📃 t1p.de/83zfu
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Sudan civil war atrocities cast spotlight on UAE
Abu Dhabi has repeatedly been accused of arming the RSF paramilitaries behind bloody takeover of El Fasher on.ft.com/48XbBdm
Abu Dhabi has repeatedly been accused of arming the RSF paramilitaries behind bloody takeover of El Fasher on.ft.com/48XbBdm
Sudan civil war atrocities cast spotlight on UAE
Abu Dhabi has repeatedly been accused of arming the RSF paramilitaries behind bloody takeover of El Fasher
on.ft.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Sudan civil war atrocities cast spotlight on UAE
Abu Dhabi has repeatedly been accused of arming the RSF paramilitaries behind bloody takeover of El Fasher on.ft.com/48XbBdm
Abu Dhabi has repeatedly been accused of arming the RSF paramilitaries behind bloody takeover of El Fasher on.ft.com/48XbBdm
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
🚨#Libya | During the month of October, I’ve tracked 64 flights from #UAE and #Bosaso in #Somalia, using military cargo planes Ilyushin IL-76 and Boeing 747 to #Eastern_Libya and #Kufra, at supporting #Hemedt , RSF in #Sudan , 34 flights Kufra and 30 flights Eastern Libya.
October 31, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
Les trois otages émiratis et iranien enlevés au #Mali le 23 septembre par le #JNIM ont été libérés aujourd'hui contre 50 millions d'euros et une livraison d'armes. Un jet privé attend en ce moment sur le tarmac de #Bamako pour les ramener à Dubaï. www.jeuneafrique.com/1736091/poli...
Au Mali, trois otages du Jnim libérés en échange d’une rançon et d’armes
Kidnappés fin septembre à Bamako, les trois otages ont été libérés par leurs ravisseurs à Gao, dans le nord du pays, en échange du versement d’une rançon de plusieurs dizaines de millions d’euros et d...
www.jeuneafrique.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Les trois otages émiratis et iranien enlevés au #Mali le 23 septembre par le #JNIM ont été libérés aujourd'hui contre 50 millions d'euros et une livraison d'armes. Un jet privé attend en ce moment sur le tarmac de #Bamako pour les ramener à Dubaï. www.jeuneafrique.com/1736091/poli...
Part of the background to the fall of El Fasher and RSF atrocities there is the sustained airlift from the UAE to the RSF via Libya - sixty Il-76 flights during October alone.
For the past six months, Haftar-controlled eastern Libya has supplanted Chad as the RSF's most important supply route.
For the past six months, Haftar-controlled eastern Libya has supplanted Chad as the RSF's most important supply route.
October 30, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Part of the background to the fall of El Fasher and RSF atrocities there is the sustained airlift from the UAE to the RSF via Libya - sixty Il-76 flights during October alone.
For the past six months, Haftar-controlled eastern Libya has supplanted Chad as the RSF's most important supply route.
For the past six months, Haftar-controlled eastern Libya has supplanted Chad as the RSF's most important supply route.
Reposted by Wolfram Lacher
This month, Altético Madrid and Inter Milan played a friendly match in Benghazi International Stadium, hosted by Khalifa Hiftar, commander of the abusive LAAF. Sports clubs should be wary of burnishing the image of human rights-abusing states and entities. hrw.org/news/2025/10...
Are European Football Clubs Sportswashing Libyan Abuses?
On the evening of October 10, two European football giants played a friendly match amid much fanfare in the newly renovated Benghazi International Stadium, to the spectators’ delight. The catch? The m...
hrw.org
October 29, 2025 at 2:15 PM
This month, Altético Madrid and Inter Milan played a friendly match in Benghazi International Stadium, hosted by Khalifa Hiftar, commander of the abusive LAAF. Sports clubs should be wary of burnishing the image of human rights-abusing states and entities. hrw.org/news/2025/10...
"Was heißt das für die europäische Migrationspolitik? Sie erfüllt offensichtlich den Tatbestand der Beihilfe zu Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit. Sie ist außerdem ein Verrat an völkerrechtlichen und multilateralen Prinzipien, als deren letzte Verfechterin sich die EU in diesen Zeiten gern sieht."
Europäische Migrationspolitik: Ein Haftbefehl gegen Angela Merkel?
Zwei Völkerrechtler wollen die ehemalige Kanzlerin und viele andere europäische Politiker auf der Anklagebank in Den Haag sehen. Klingt verrückt? Ist es leider nicht.
www.zeit.de
October 24, 2025 at 9:52 AM
"Was heißt das für die europäische Migrationspolitik? Sie erfüllt offensichtlich den Tatbestand der Beihilfe zu Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit. Sie ist außerdem ein Verrat an völkerrechtlichen und multilateralen Prinzipien, als deren letzte Verfechterin sich die EU in diesen Zeiten gern sieht."