since 2022 Project Director of Megatrends Afrika
2018 PhD, Political Science, Humboldt University, Berlin
since 2010 at SWP
2007-2010 North Africa Analyst, Control Risks, London
2006 MSc, Violence, Conflict & Development, SOAS, London
2001-2005 Political Science, Arabic and African Studies in Leipzig, Paris and Cairo
The Rise and Mysterious Fall of Militant Islamist Movements in Libya
doi:10.18449/2024RP10
Dimensions and consequences of a consolidation process
doi:10.18449/2023C44
Dynastic consolidation and its risks
doi:10.18449/2022C67
Contribution to a Research Paper 2021/RP 04, 28.05.2021, 51 Pages, pp. 15–20
A Semblance of Compromise Obscures Old and New Rifts
doi:10.18449/2021C29
The Rise of Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan Arab Armed Forces
doi:10.18449/2020WP12
Mauritania’s importance as a partner for Europe is growing. Increased resources and foreign support could either help the ruling elite to consolidate power or worsen social fragilities. European migration and security policies risk adding to tensions.
doi:10.18449/2025MTA-PB38
Algeria and Morocco are increasingly jostling for Mauritania’s favour. Observers watch for any sign that Mauritania might abandon its neutral stance. The rivalry plays out as much through propaganda as it does in reality – with potentially destabilising effects.
Advanced combat drones are increasingly used in conflicts in Africa. Countries like Iran, Turkey and the UAE provide these weapons. Gerrit Kurtz and Wolfram Lacher explain how drone usage has the potential to shift the balance of military power between state forces and insurgents.
Advanced combat drones are increasingly used in conflicts in Africa. This analysis of the conflicts in Mali, Chad and Sudan shows, their potential to shift the balance of military power between state forces and insurgents depends on symmetrical access to technology, type of warfare and topography.
doi:10.18449/2025MTA-PB33
Western governments have castigated Russia and Turkey for destabilizing Libya with their military deployments. But in daily life, their military presence is hardly noticeable – even in the immediate vicinity of their bases. In this Megatrends Afrika Spotlight, Wolfram Lacher (SWP) argues that both states have adopted a low profile in order to stay in Libya for the long term – and so far, their approach appears to be working.
Deby is seizing the multipolar disorder as an opportunity to consolidate his power. By capitalizing on Chad's status as one of the region’s last remaining partners of Western states, Deby has relied on French military presence as the ultimate deterrent against his overthrow by force. However, cooperation with the UAE in channelling military assistance to the RSF in Sudan, poses serious domestic and external risks.
doi:10.18449/2023MTA-PB19
Armed groups and society in a western Libyan city
The definitive interdisciplinary volume on Libyan society's transformations over a decade of conflict and insecurity
According to Siddiq Kabir, he is the last pillar holding the country together. His adversaries claim he is perpetuating a national crisis
doi:10.1177/26330024221130364
Selected reviews of:
Wolfram Lacher
Libya’s Fragmentation
Structure and Process in Violent Conflict
I.B. Tauris, London 2020, 304 S., ISBN 978-0-755-60081-6
»Lacher makes a significant contribution to scholarship on contemporary events in Libya and to conflict studies more broadly.« – Tim Eaton, in: The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, Summer 2020, Libya’s Fragmentation: Novel ways to understand why the Libyan revolution occurred and moves toward its resolution – Book Reviews – The Cairo Review of Global Affairs
»An indispensable work for anyone interested in Libya and North Africa, as well as in armed conflicts more generally« – Judith Scheele, in: Politique Africaine 160 (2020), Libya’s Fragmentation: Structure and Process in Violent Conflict – Revues des Livres – Polaf n° 160
»A remarkable combination of fieldwork and theory, Libya’s Fragmentation is highly recommended for diplomats, journalists, and scholars.« – Ronald Bruce St John, in: The Middle East Journal, Autumn 2020, Libya’s Fragmentation: Structure and Process in Violent Conflict by Wolfram Lacher – Review – The Middle East Journal
