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Ulf Laessing

@ulflaessing.bsky.social
234 followers 175 following 261 posts

Head of Sahel Programme at Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation in Bamako; previously 13 years for Reuters in Mideast/Africa; Author of Understanding Libya Since Gaddafi; personal account

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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
www.rtr.ch/cultura/excl... sehenswerte Reportage ueber einen Entfuehrungsfall in Agadez in 2012 (Inklusive O-Ton von mir)
rtr.ch
Die Entführung: Not Vital und der Preis der Kunst
In artist renumà, in giuven student, in pajais privlus. Il 2012 è in parent da Vital, Nicolò Krättli vegnì rapinà.
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
The Malian rebel seizure of parts of the north is a defeat for Russia whose mercenaries refused to fight, I told Germany’s Tagesschau prime-time news program www.tagesschau.de/tagesschau_2...
tagesschau.de
tagesschau 20 Uhr
tagesschau 20 Uhr
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Is Mali on the brink of collapse? My analysis on BBC Are jihadists pushing Mali to the brink? - BBC Africa youtu.be/6drTckSydvg?si… via YouTube
youtu.be
Are jihadists pushing Mali to the brink? - BBC Africa
YouTube video by BBC News Africa
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Europe should not think the Mali crisis will have no impact, I write in an op-ed for @semafor.com www.semafor.com/article/04/3...
semafor.com
View: Why the Sahel crisis matters to Europe
A coordinated attack by jihadists and Tuaregs in Mali exposes the vulnerability of its ruling junta.
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Reposted by Ulf Laessing
Jacob Judah @jacobjudah.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
There have been massive attacks across Mali by JNIM and the FLA. The FLA and JNIM working together is a major shift and fighting back will test not only Bamako, but also Moscow. "Russia will do everything to turn this around," @ulflaessing.bsky.social tells me. www.ft.com/content/fabb...
ft.com
Co-ordinated attacks threaten Mali’s Russian-backed regime
Military government battles to contain assaults launched by jihadist and secessionist militants
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Reposted by Ulf Laessing
The Debate - France 24 @f24debate.france24.com · 27/04/2026
“It’s a disaster for Russia.” @ulflaessing.bsky.social tells #F24Spotlight what Africa Corp’s withdrawal from Kidal says about Russia’s role in Mali
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Reposted by Ulf Laessing
Joshua Coe @joshuacoe.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Mali is under renewed attack and analyst @ulflaessing.bsky.social tells @theworld.org the junta “made the wrong bet” by ditching French support for a much smaller Russian force known as Africa Corps. The result? The jihadist and separatist groups are still advancing. theworld.org/segments/202...
theworld.org
Coordinated attacks in Mali expose weaknesses of military junta - The World from PRX
Mali’s military junta is fighting off coordinated attacks across the country that began this weekend. Led by Tuareg separatists and al-Qaeda-linked fighters, the country’s defense minister was among t...
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Posting a few thoughts about my latest trip to Chad. Our trip to Faya up in the north didn’t work out as the UN flight was cancelled due to low visibility. But it was good to be back in N’Djamena…. #chad #sudan
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Morocco has invested for years in boosting relations with Mali by offering investments, flight connections and future Atlantic port access, which explains why Bamako has adopted the kingdom’s position in the West Sahara conflict, I told Le Monde. lnkd.in/ej8e5aMC
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Burkina Faso has hired some 50000 volunteers to fight jihadists, a force with little training that gets blamed for many killings of civilians, I told The Economist lnkd.in/e26BSyBk
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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Reposted by Ulf Laessing
Länder-Analysen @laenderanalysen.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Die neuen Russland-Analysen 479 sind online: Angelina Davydova & Aleksej Martow analysieren, wie der Naturschutz geschwächt wird. Dazu Kommentare von @marknkatz.bsky.social, @ulflaessing.bsky.social und @jkleinschmidt.bsky.social zu außenpolitischen Fragen. 👇 laender-analysen.de/russland-ana...
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Say what you want about the US Sahel engagement - in contrast to the EU they at least have a plan on how to deal with Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso #Sahel
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
On the road with @unhcr.org in eastern Chad
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Last week, the EU showed it still hasn't grasped the geopolitical game in a changing world - by failing to approve again an aid package for Mali, Niger and Burkina - just after the Mercosur fiasco and as the US reached out to the military-run Sahel countries. #sahel
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Jihadists likely targeted with their attack on Niamey airport Niger’s newly-acquired Turkish drones, I tell AP apnews.com/article/nige...
apnews.com
Niger says gunmen attacked air force base in the capital, resulting in heavy gunfire, explosions
Niger's state broadcaster said armed men attacked a Nigerien Air Force base in the capital city overnight into Thursday morning, resulting in loud explosions and heavy gunfire.
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Couple of quick thoughts on Deby’s visit to Paris. Interesting that Chad and France come together again to redefine their cooperation. Even after the abrupt end of French military cooperation bilateral ties have continued normally…
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Burkina Faso has been recently in the news with an alleged coup attempt and the extradiction of former leader Damiba from Togo for his alleged involvement. Sharing some observations from two recent visits. Arriving at Ouaga airport this slogan greets you...
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Mein Gastbeitrag im Tagesspiegel zur Lage on Burkina Faso www.tagesspiegel.de/internationa...
tagesspiegel.de
In Burkina Faso herrscht nur noch Angst : Kritiker werden jetzt an die Front geschickt
Im Jahr 2022 übernahm das Militär die Macht in dem westafrikanischen Staat. Doch seine Versprechen kann es nicht erfüllen. Nun wird Journalisten der Mund verboten – dieser Rat kommt aus Moskau.
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
Pleased to get quoted by AP apnews.com/article/mali...
apnews.com
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger call for joint 'large-scale operations' against extremists
The head of an alliance of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger says the launch of a joint battalion “must be followed by large-scale operations in the coming days."
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Honoured to get quoted by the @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/36fa...
ft.com
Jihadis encircle Mali’s capital as they close in on power
Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists tighten blockade around Bamako as military regime reels
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Reposted by Ulf Laessing
Jules Duhamel @julesduhamel.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
As reported by Levent Kemal, 🇹🇷 Turkey now warns its citizens against all non-essential travel to 🇲🇱 Mali, due to "recent developments" and a worsening of the security situation.
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Yet another kidnapping of a foreigner in Niger where I was two weeks ago. Kidnappings will force NGOs leading to more poverty and more volunteers to join the fighters, I tell @AP apnews.com/article/nige...
apnews.com
American missionary abducted in Niger as security worsens, sources say
An American missionary has been kidnapped in Niger's capital, Niamey, according to security sources and local media.
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
Mauritania has done more than other Sahel countries to win over jihadists willing to lay down arms, I tell @guardian www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
theguardian.com
Sahel-based jihadists are extending their reach. Can a fractured region push back?
Counterinsurgency approaches have splintered in west Africa at the same time as terror threats have shifted southward
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
The US has offered Mali to target leaders of jihadists I tell AFP. Some officials seem to believe that Mali’s gold might be interesting to US firms. lnkd.in/dCdFET3H
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
I talk to U.S.-based The World radio about why Mali decided to return ancient manuscripts to Timbuktu, a major ancient seat of learning. lnkd.in/d2FM3Y5B
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
Russia’s Africa Corps is focused rather on training not fighting like Wagner which could be a contentious issue as Moscow pressures the Central African Republic to make the switch, I tell AP apnews.com/article/cent....
apnews.com
Russia asks Central African Republic to replace Wagner with state-run Africa Corps and pay for it
Officials in the Central African Republic have said that Russia has called on the country to replace the private Wagner mercenary group with Moscow’s state-run Africa Corps and requested payment for f...
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
www.dw.com/en/how-the-s... includes quotes from me
dw.com
How the Sahel became a smuggling hotspot – DW – 07/28/2025
International criminal gangs have exploited instability in Sahel countries to build flourishing drug and human trafficking networks, while Russian promises of bringing order have so far failed.
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
Sharing some observations from my latest trip to Niger, the capital Niamey and the economic center Maradi. Two years ago I was about to open an office there for a huge EU project to train political parties. Well now
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
JNIM Is staging attacks in western Mali to force the government elevate forces from the north and center, I tell the @telegraphnews.bsky.social www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2...
telegraph.co.uk
The deadly al-Qaeda affiliate terrorising western Africa
Nearly 1,000 people were killed by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin across Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in May
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
Many thanks Tobias
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
Sharing some observations from a recent second trip to Chad. The challenges are multiplying. More Sudanese refugees arrive, the UN will cut funding for them. At Lake Chad you have more sophisticated jihadist attacks
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Niger used to import its food needs via Lome and Cotonou ports. But with the Bénin border closed and the Burkina Faso route dangerous most stuff comes these days from Nigeria - cafes and restaurants in Niamey now serve Lagos-bottled Heineken beer.
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Honoured get quoted by @theguardian.com on this excellent takeout on the Sahel jihadist menace www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j... #sahel
theguardian.com
Who are JNIM, the jihadist ‘ghost enemy’ gaining momentum in the Sahel?
Islamist extremist group has capitalised on instability to control a swath of the region
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Includes quote from me www.reuters.com/world/africa...
reuters.com
As gold prices surge, West Africa mine operators launch drones to detect wildcat miners
In Gold Fields' Tarkwa mine in Ghana, a high-tech cat-and-mouse game is playing out with increasing frequency as record gold prices draw more unofficial activity.
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Tunis
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Glad to be back in Tunisia for another Sahel Maghreb dialogue @KAS_africa this time to discuss employment opportunities for the two regions’ young populations
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Wagner’s exit from Mali signals a lighter Russian military footprint in the Sahel as the Africa Corps takes over, I tell Reuters www.reuters.com/world/africa...
reuters.com
Russia's Wagner mercenary group says it is leaving Mali after 'mission accomplished'
Russia's Wagner mercenary group said on Friday it was leaving Mali after fighting Islamist militants for three-and-a-half years and returning home after its mission in the African country had been successfully completed.
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Includes quote from me apnews.com/article/mali... Russia's Africa Corps to remain in Mali despite Wagner mercenaries exit | AP News
apnews.com
Wagner Group leaving Mali after heavy losses but Russia's Africa Corps to remain
The Russia-backed Wagner Group says it is leaving Mali after more than three and a half years of fighting Islamic extremists and insurgents in the country.
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
I had the pleasure writing for @KASonline @auslandsinfo on jihadists at Lake Chad. I wrote the article around New Year so parts are already outdated given the fluid situation but it still gives - I hope - a good overview. www.kas.de/en/web/ausla... open.spotify.com/episode/01rzL2…
open.spotify.com
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 25/05/2025
Gastbeitrag von mir zum Sudan-Konflikt. Ich war vor zwei Wochen im Osttschad an der Grenze zum Buergerkriegsland und habe mit sudanesischen Fluechtlingen gesprochen www.t-online.de/nachrichten/...
t-online.de
Ausländische Mächte mischen mit: Dieser Krieg kennt keinen Gewinner
Die Flüchtlingszahlen im Sudan steigen dramatisch. Ausländische Mächte mischen im dortigen Bürgerkrieg mit. Der Konflikt droht auch, das Nachbarland Tschad zu destabilisieren.
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Sharing some observations from my recent Chad trip, my first since the French troop withdrawal late 2024. Obviously the Sudan refugee crisis is pressing (see separate thread) as Chad remains fragile and seeks post-Paris new alliances ….
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
I spent the last three days in eastern Chad at the Sudan border, my first visit since April 2024 - the humanitarian situation has gone from very bad to much worse with a new spike in refugee arrivals. Thanks much for @helpfromgermany for having me again. A few thoughts: #chad #sahel
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
Just arrived in New York, coming all the way from Chad on an rather empty Egyptair flight. Really excited to discuss all things Sahel first at an event at our UN office and then in DC. Great to be back in the US
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Chad Sudan border - the cars and people in the background are on the Sudanese side. Main crossing point for refugees - arrivals picking up since RSF attacks on Zam Zam camp in El Fasher. Also Arabs fleeing Khartoum since the army defeated RSF there
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Made it back to eastern Chad/Sudan border to report on the humanitarian crisis. Two years into the Sudan war, refugees keep coming from as far as Khartoum. Since the RSF attack on Zam Zam camp numbers have been spiking with 11000 arriving alone last week. @KASonline on the ground
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Good to be back in N’Djamena in Chad to discuss migration issues. My last visit was in July 2024 at Lake Chad. Much has happened since then post-election and with the Sudan war raging in the east
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
table.media/africa/news/... Inklusive Zitat von mir
table.media
Mali: Goïta zementiert seinen Machtanspruch
Mali entwickelt sich ganz offen zu einer Militärdiktatur. General Assimi Goïta soll mindestens bis 2030 an der Macht bleiben.
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Includes quote from me www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Mali Junta Leader Gets Backing to Serve as President Until 2030
A forum organized by Mali’s army-led government proposed that junta leader Assimi Goita remain in power five more years, the third West African nation under military control to impose such a delay in ...
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
ith my colleague Steven Hoefner I travelled last week (thanks to GIZ and @Refugees @UNHCRWestAfrica ) to eastern Mauretania to visit Mbera camp, the Mali border and regional capital Nema to see the humanitarian crisis – I covered many conflicts for Reuters but this looks bad.. #sahel
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Ulf Laessing @ulflaessing.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
UNHCRWestAfrica registration center (co-financed by Germany’s GIZ) for Malian refugees in Mauretania near the joint border. Some 6,000 arrive every month fleeing conflict in Mali
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