Even if Irani retaliation to US-Israeli aggression temporarily pushes Riyadh & Abu Dhabi toward tactical convergence, it won't dissolve their deeper strategic rivalry in Sudan and the Red Sea.
Even if Irani retaliation to US-Israeli aggression temporarily pushes Riyadh & Abu Dhabi toward tactical convergence, it won't dissolve their deeper strategic rivalry in Sudan and the Red Sea.
My latest for ISPI explores how LAAF-RSF cooperation is transforming logistics & border corridors' governance into geopolitical currency in the competition between Saudi Arabia & the UAE - playing out across the Horn, Sudan, Libya & Chad.
Rare for me to publish reflection pieces like this - but this one may resonate with those whoβve followed the arc of Seif al-Islam Gaddafiβs journey, and are grappling with the tangle of his legacy in Libyaβs politics - & the tragedy of his killing.
emadbadi.com/seif-al-isla...
A thread unpacking recent #RSF weapons-supply dynamics in Sudan, & how a set of external shocks is now reshaping how the #UAE moves materiel to Hemedti's forces - from the Turko-Egyptian rapprochement and the Red Sea fallout to the evolving Saudi-Emirati rivalry.
threadreaderapp.com/thread/20108...
#Libya #Chad #Sudan
@emadbadi.bsky.social
'In weakly governed borderlands, the market for #mercenary labour and the market for #weapons interact to entrench a regionalized economy of insecurity.. networks in which weapons, fighters, fuel and [ICT] move together'
globalinitiative.net/analysis/imp...
Highly recommend this excellent new report by @emadbadi.bsky.social on the UAE's supply lines to the RSF via Libya and Chad to ayone interested in the regional conflict complex in which the war in Sudan is enmeshed, and in the networks serving UAE interests.
globalinitiative.net/analysis/imp...
How did the UAE supply the RSF & sustain its war effort in Sudan for 2+ years? What dictated the reliance on Amdjarass, Kufra or other nodes?
More broadly, how did Sudan's war affect arms trafficking & mercenary networks in Chad & Libya?
My in-depth report:
globalinitiative.net/analysis/imp...
Huge kudos to @data.ft.com for putting together this forensic mapping of the utter vileness of the Israel-US "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation"
Inside Gazaβs βdeath trapsβ www.ft.com/content/6c74... via @data.ft.com
This long-form piece reflects on 5 years of Turkish involvement in Libya, tracing Ankaraβs interventions at key political junctures - most recently downing a GNU-launched drone to halt its offensive.
It examines how Turkey is recalibrating its role - and to what end.
My latest, with a view from the ground in #Tripoli: Ankaraβs quiet intervention to rein in the GNU reveals a deeper shift - from assertive influence to cautious containment - as #Turkey recalibrates its role in an increasingly unstable capital.
A failed power grab has eroded trust and deepened rivalries, leaving Tripoli in a state of suspended conflict primed for renewed violence, write @emadbadi.bsky.social and @wlacher.bsky.social⬠for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
'With trust eroded and rivalries deepened, #Tripoli is in a state of suspended conflict, primed for renewed violence.' @emadbadi.bsky.social @wlacher.bsky.social @newlinesmag.bsky.social #Libya
newlinesmag.com/argument/a-p...
Excellent, must-read analysis of unfolding events in Libya by @emadbadi.bsky.social and @wlacher.bsky.social π
Excellent review and analysis of the recent fighting and shifting power dynamics in #Tripoli #Libya
@wlacher.bsky.social @emadbadi.bsky.social
New @newlinesmag.bsky.social piece with @emadbadi.bsky.social, in which we try to make sense of a dramatic set of events in Tripoli over the past two weeks and what they mean for Libya's political stalemate.
newlinesmag.com/argument/a-p...
After a gambit by #Libya's Dabeiba to consolidate control in #Tripoli backfired, the capital has entered a state of suspended conflict - a tenuous standoff unlikely to hold.
In our latest @newlinesmag.bsky.social , @wlacher.bsky.social & I trace the breakdown, aftermath, & potential paths forward.
Haaretzβs Yaniv Kubovich reports that Israel plans to seize 75% of Gaza and relocate more than 1,3 million Palestinians in the upcoming offensive, ultimately forcing the entire population into three military zones with food supplies strictly controlled by GHF/Israel. www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
Literally every experienced humanitarian or medical professional coming out of Gaza says:
βthis is the worst I have seen, anywhere, anytimeβ
My latest for @mecouncil.bsky.social unpacks how a bid to rein in militias in #Tripoli unraveled into a war of militias, & what is now at stake.
International policy must now pivot from managing dysfunction to enabling transition before #Libya's history repeats itself.
Granular analysis of events unfolding in Tripoli, Libya.
recommend reading β¬οΈ
Precious analysis of events in Tripoli over the past 24 hours, by @emadbadi.bsky.social
emadbadi.com/the-unraveli...
For those following the latest developments in #Libya's #Tripoli, this analysis outlines what unfolded overnight, covering key military dynamics.
It closes with a call for more hands-on empowered mediation to prevent further bloodshed & build on the tenuous ceasefires.
emadbadi.com/the-unraveli...
Overnight, a Zawiyan coalition incl Mohamed Bahroun al-Far, Mohamed Sifaw, Othman Lhab, Busriba units, & Mahmoud Ben Rjab advanced toward Siyahiya, & may clash w/ Zintani forces.
Driven by fears of marginalization, the move aims to ease pressure on SDF & divide GNU's forces.
Later today, the 111 Brigade, Joint Force, & 444 Brigade are expected to regroup & launch a coordinated push to confine the SDF to its stronghold in Sug al-Jumaa.
A decision to militarily overtake Sug al-Jumaa - densely populated & symbolically significant - would be perilous.
Early this morning, the Special Deterrence Force (SDF) and Judicial Security launched a successful counteroffensive against disorganized GNU-aligned forces in southern Tripoli, deploying retrofitted commercial drones & drone-assisted targeting to hit key 444 Brigade positions
Tripoli may be on the cusp of being the theater for warfare unlike anything seen since 2011 - an urban battlefield marked by drone strikes, street-to-street clashes, & guerilla warfare.
The vast majority of casualties in this context will unfortunately be innocent civilians.
For an excellent analysis of Ghnewa's rise, see this @smallarmssurvey.bsky.social paper written under a pseudonym by
@emadbadi.bsky.social - Emad outed himself as the author last night.
www.smallarmssurvey.org/resource/pol...
And you know who is in no position to comment on these plans? The EU and its member states, who have been seeking to trap migrants in Libya for the past eight years.
Heartbroken at the passing of Pope Francis, a man who may not have been perfect but who consistently used his immense platform and his influence not only to say what was right in the face of political power, but also to model the behavior that brought those words to life. (1)
Excellent recap of the recent crisis in the Libyan economy
short, concise, and well done. Please give it a read