Gerrit Kurtz
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gerritkurtz.bsky.social
Gerrit Kurtz
@gerritkurtz.bsky.social
Researcher at German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP Berlin). Focus on conflict prevention, peacebuilding and diplomacy in the Horn of Africa (Sudan and Ethiopia). Own views. Retweets not endorsement.
https://gerritkurtz.net
One of several disturbing moments in Marco Rubio's speech at the @munsecconf.bsky.social, on par with his call for allies not to "be shackled by guilt and shame".

Only on this revisionist, far-right basis did Rubio reach out to Europe.

But the audience still gave him standing ovations.
Rubio just straight up extols the European colonial project and blames “anti-colonial uprisings” for the continent’s decline.

www.state.gov/releases/off...
February 15, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Good to see that the war in #Sudan will feature on the main stage of @munsecconf.bsky.social on Saturday evening.

Hopefully, there will be criticial questions about the divisions within the Quad, their lack of engagement with the conflict parties, and lack of implementation mechanism.
February 13, 2026 at 11:19 AM
Impressive sourcing of the new RSF training camp in Western #Ethiopia, funded by the #UAE for thousands fo fighters.

The camp is being built at the same time as the UAE is supposedly co-leading peace talks as part of the Quad.

www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Ethiopia builds secret camp to train Sudan RSF fighters, sources say
Ethiopia is hosting a secret camp to train thousands of fighters for the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in neighbouring Sudan, Reuters reporting has found, in the latest sign that one of the ...
www.reuters.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:32 AM
The MFA of #Ethiopia formally accuses #Eritrea of "further escalation" along the border in recent days.

How long can these threats continue without either side taking pre-emptive action?
February 9, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Ceasefire monitors report 14% increase of violations in #SouthSudan in January (compared to Dec), 43% more between the signatories. The map underlines the widespread nature of fighting.
Violence against civilians is part and parcel of this recent escalation, particularly in Jonglei.
February 9, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Reposted by Gerrit Kurtz
@gerritkurtz.bsky.social erklärt bei @zenith.me, warum trotz weiter bestehendem Friedensabkommen das Risiko wächst, dass organisierte Gewalt in #Südsudan zur Normalität wird. Zum Beitrag 👇👇
February 5, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Gerrit Kurtz
@gerritkurtz.bsky.social ordnet bei @table.media die aktuelle Lage in Tigray und am Horn von Afrika insgesamt ein 👇
table.media/en/africa/he...
table.media
February 4, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Neue Publikation: In #Südsudan eskaliert der Bürgerkrieg in den letzten Wochen. Dennoch halten die wichtigsten Unterzeichner am Friedensabkommen offiziell fest. Ich erkläre, warum.

magazin.zenith.me/de/politik/e...
Hier herrscht ein Krieg mit System
Der Machtkampf im Südsudan spitzt sich zu, treibt das Land knapp anderthalb Jahrzehnte nach der Unabhängigkeit in einen vielschichtigen Bürgerkrieg – und reiht sich ein in das immer komplexere Konflik...
magazin.zenith.me
February 3, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Short assessment of the situation in #Ethiopia after the clashes in #Tigray @table.media table.media/en/africa/he...
February 3, 2026 at 8:16 AM
Fighting in #Tigray between TDF and ENDF at the Western Tigray front is concerning, with reports also of TDF taking over without fight in Southern Tigray and Tigray Peace Forces moving from Afar. #Ethiopia
This escalation may still be halted, but could also spiral quickly further.
January 30, 2026 at 10:04 AM
This decision deserves attention. A Dutch court sentenced a man from #Eritrea for his role in the coordination of a transnational criminal smuggling network, often involving extortion of people on the move in #Libya and reaching their family members in Europe.
www.euronews.com/2026/01/27/d...
Dutch court jails Eritrean man for 20 years over people smuggling
Presiding Judge René Melaard called the case “exceptionally serious” because of both the nature and scope of the crimes.
www.euronews.com
January 28, 2026 at 8:17 AM
The presence of G3 rifles, originally designed by Hekler&Koch from Germany, among RSF fighters in #Sudan has created a stir. This report traces them back to #Yemen, where they were modified, then smuggled by the #UAE client STC to Somalia (Bosaso) and further on into Sudan.
3ayin.com/en/yemen-/
From Yemen to Sudan: How a modified G3 rifle exposes UAE arms smuggling to the RSF – Ayin network – شبكة عاين
3ayin.com
January 27, 2026 at 10:12 AM
This rhetoric, which has caused a stir in #SouthSudan, comes amid a history of ethnically targeted atrocities and violence against civilians. There is full-scale war in the country once again.
Johnson Olony, an infamous South Sudanese militia leader who is also a high-level SSPDF general, instructs his forces to "spare no one" in their counter-offensive against the SPLM-IO, promising an "end of problems in the Upper Nile region". #SouthSudan

www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/arti...
‘Spare no one, not even the elderly’ - Radio Tamazuj
A top military official has instructed his forces deployed to front lines in Jonglei State
www.radiotamazuj.org
January 26, 2026 at 3:56 PM
Johnson Olony, an infamous South Sudanese militia leader who is also a high-level SSPDF general, instructs his forces to "spare no one" in their counter-offensive against the SPLM-IO, promising an "end of problems in the Upper Nile region". #SouthSudan

www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/arti...
‘Spare no one, not even the elderly’ - Radio Tamazuj
A top military official has instructed his forces deployed to front lines in Jonglei State
www.radiotamazuj.org
January 26, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by Gerrit Kurtz
👇 Neue SWP-Sammelstudie 👇
Mit einem Beitrag von Muriel Asseburg & Peter Lintl über die europäischen Nahostpolitik mit einem erratischen Partner sowie einem Beitrag von @gerritkurtz.bsky.social zu den Herausforderungen nachhaltigen Friedensengagements in Zeiten kurzlebiger »Deals«.
Die Ära der Pax Americana geht zu Ende. Europa kann sich nicht länger auf die Partnerschaft mit den USA verlassen. Eine Studie von Barbara Lippert & Stefan Mair (Hg.) zeigt in 14 Beiträgen Wege aus der Abhängigkeit von Washington. (1/4) www.swp-berlin.org/publikation/...
Mit, ohne, gegen Washington: Die Neubestimmung der Bezie­hungen Europas zu den USA
Die Epoche der Pax Americana, die nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg Deutsch­lands und Europas Sicherheit garantierte, kommt an ihr Ende. Die Europäer...
www.swp-berlin.org
January 26, 2026 at 3:19 PM
"Ich glaube, es ist wichtig, dass wir Afrika nicht nur durch die Brille des geopolitischen Wettbewerbs sehen, nicht nur fragen, wenn wir nicht da sind, wer füllt dann die Lücke."
sage ich @tagesschau.bsky.social und dem ARD Hörfunk. #Afrika #Geopolitik
www.tagesschau.de/inland/wadep...
Wadephul in Kenia und Äthiopien: Besuch bei "Schlüsselpartnern"
Für Afrika war in der deutschen Außenpolitik bislang wenig Zeit, nun reist Außenminister Wadephul nach Kenia und Äthiopien. Es ist der erste Besuch seiner Amtszeit in Ländern südlich der Sahara. Von G...
www.tagesschau.de
January 23, 2026 at 9:39 AM
Heavy fighting between the mainstream opposition and the government in #SouthSudan in recent days. As the SPLM-IO has been under severe pressure for many months, the offensive suggests they may have found an external sponsor now.
www.reuters.com/world/africa...
South Sudan opposition forces call for march on Juba after battlefield gains
South Sudan's main opposition faction called on its forces on Monday to advance on the capital Juba after they captured a strategic town last week.
www.reuters.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:17 AM
Die US-Vermittlungsdiplomatie bricht mit den Prinzipien der bisherigen Konfliktbearbeitung und baut oft auf neo-imperialen Vorstellungen auf.
Ich dekonstruiere den Trump-Ansatz und zeige auf, wie ein Land wie Deutschland damit umgehen sollte. #mediation #frieden

www.swp-berlin.org/publikation/...
Mit, ohne, gegen Washington: Die Neubestimmung der Bezie­hungen Europas zu den USA
Die Epoche der Pax Americana, die nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg Deutsch­lands und Europas Sicherheit garantierte, kommt an ihr Ende. Die Europäer...
www.swp-berlin.org
January 23, 2026 at 8:14 AM
"Everybody thinks it's a disaster, but there is no alternative"

This assessment by an anonymous "Western Diplomat" of the US-led civil-military committee on Gaza could also apply to other US efforts nominally for peace.

www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Exclusive: Some European states rethink presence at US-backed Gaza base, diplomats say
Diplomats say the U.S. military-led coordination centre for Gaza failed to increase aid flows to the war-shattered enclave or achieve political change.
www.reuters.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:54 PM
In der aktuellen aufgeheizten Diskussion über die Proteste in #Iran empfehle ich sehr die Analysen und Einschätzungen meiner @swp-mea.bsky.social Kollegin Azadeh Zamirirad.
Steht das Regime im Iran vor seinem Ende? Azadeh Zamirirad @swp-mea.bsky.social sagt: Dieses System muss man zweimal stürzen. Im Podcast „Das Politikteil“ spricht sie über aktuelle Entwicklungen und darüber, warum die Angst vor dem Regime ihre lähmende Wirkung verliert. www.zeit.de/politik/2026...
Mullah-Regime: "Dieses System muss man zweimal stürzen"
Die aktuellen Proteste im Iran sind anders und massiver als zuvor. Steht das Mullah-Regime so kurz vor seinem Ende, wie viele glauben?
www.zeit.de
January 16, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Official announcement by Federal Foreign Office spokersperson that Germany will host the next international #Sudan conference in mid April in Berlin.
www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/aktu...
January 12, 2026 at 12:53 PM
Wichtige Reportage über die Möglichkeiten und massiven Herausforderungen humanitärer Hilfe im Ost-Tschad, wo viele sudanesische Geflüchtete untergekommen sind. Sie zeigt auch, dass Mittel einen Unterschied machen können, gerade auch für #Resilienz. #Sudan
www.ardmediathek.de/video/die-st...
die story: Ohne Geld die Welt retten? Eine Reise an die Grenzen der Hilfe - hier anschauen
Es ist wohl die größte humanitäre Krise der Welt – von der Weltöffentlichkeit kaum beachtet. Im Sudan führt die Regierung gegen Rebellen einen blutigen und brutalen Bürgerkrieg. Schätzungsweise 12 Mil...
www.ardmediathek.de
December 18, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Germany will host the next #Sudan ministerial conference in 2026 in Berlin, it was said today. Format is yet to be determined.
December 18, 2025 at 12:46 PM
SAF and SAF-aligned militias engaged in ethnically targeted arrests and killings after taking over Al-Jazeera State, this in-depth reporting finds.

Hate speech and targeted killings are not limited to the RSF in #Sudan, unfortunately.

sudanwarmonitor.com/p/investigat...
Investigative Report: The Kanabi Killings
Sudan Army and Proxies Killed Hundreds and Dumped the Bodies in Canals
sudanwarmonitor.com
December 17, 2025 at 12:12 PM