Ulf Laessing
@ulflaessing.bsky.social
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
11. flew to Maradi from Niamey with on yet another UN flight. The UN gets criticized for being inefficient but Sahel countries would struggle without. Not only the aid but services such as the UN being the only reliable domestic airline service for anyone, not just the UN
July 26, 2025 at 7:54 PM
11. flew to Maradi from Niamey with on yet another UN flight. The UN gets criticized for being inefficient but Sahel countries would struggle without. Not only the aid but services such as the UN being the only reliable domestic airline service for anyone, not just the UN
8. Another rather population growth detail. While on 1990 some 35 people lived on one kilometer in Maradi in 2050 it will be more than 200. By 2050 the Maradi population will have tripled compared to 2012. Keep in mind that Niger is one of the world’s poorest countries.
July 26, 2025 at 7:54 PM
8. Another rather population growth detail. While on 1990 some 35 people lived on one kilometer in Maradi in 2050 it will be more than 200. By 2050 the Maradi population will have tripled compared to 2012. Keep in mind that Niger is one of the world’s poorest countries.
7.We did a small seminar in Maradi on population growth in Niger, where woman per around seven children. Maradi is even more population. The fertility rate here is 7.6. Almost 50 percent of the population in Mardi is 15 years or younger ..
July 26, 2025 at 7:54 PM
7.We did a small seminar in Maradi on population growth in Niger, where woman per around seven children. Maradi is even more population. The fertility rate here is 7.6. Almost 50 percent of the population in Mardi is 15 years or younger ..
6. Supermarkets in Niamey are full of Nigerian stuff I remember from my time in Lagos for Reuters such as my favorite milk shake. Everything goes through Maradi at the border, which really feels like a Nigerian city like Kano or Maiduguri. Very packed and mosques not Sahel style
July 26, 2025 at 7:54 PM
6. Supermarkets in Niamey are full of Nigerian stuff I remember from my time in Lagos for Reuters such as my favorite milk shake. Everything goes through Maradi at the border, which really feels like a Nigerian city like Kano or Maiduguri. Very packed and mosques not Sahel style
5. Inflation is biting. With the Bénin border is still closed and insecurity hampering the Burkina route most imports come from Nigeria. I was surprised to drink this time Lagos-brewed Heineken rather Castel or Beaufort coming from Togo
July 26, 2025 at 7:54 PM
5. Inflation is biting. With the Bénin border is still closed and insecurity hampering the Burkina route most imports come from Nigeria. I was surprised to drink this time Lagos-brewed Heineken rather Castel or Beaufort coming from Togo
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
July 26, 2025 at 7:54 PM
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
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.
July 9, 2025 at 6:12 AM
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.
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
June 16, 2025 at 9:06 AM
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
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 ….
May 20, 2025 at 5:23 PM
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 ….
10. Even before the USAID end the UN ops were funded by 40% only. Good news is that for Chad there seem to be some US cut exceptions for live saving aid. But overall the picture is very grim and more refugees are coming. And the 2003 Darfur refugees are still here
May 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM
10. Even before the USAID end the UN ops were funded by 40% only. Good news is that for Chad there seem to be some US cut exceptions for live saving aid. But overall the picture is very grim and more refugees are coming. And the 2003 Darfur refugees are still here
9. Eastern Chad is poor even by the country’s standards lacking infrastructure. Obviously authorities want to move refugees away from Adre and the border but people might try to go back to look for jobs at Adre market - in times of shrinking donor budgets people report less aid.
May 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM
9. Eastern Chad is poor even by the country’s standards lacking infrastructure. Obviously authorities want to move refugees away from Adre and the border but people might try to go back to look for jobs at Adre market - in times of shrinking donor budgets people report less aid.
8. I haven’t met any refugee who thinks the Sudan conflict will be anytime over or with a solution in sight. Some might try go back and for forth but living in Darfur is for refugees not possible as long as the RSF is in charge.
May 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM
8. I haven’t met any refugee who thinks the Sudan conflict will be anytime over or with a solution in sight. Some might try go back and for forth but living in Darfur is for refugees not possible as long as the RSF is in charge.
7. Refugees are almost entirely Masalit from El Geneina, once a major city in Darfur just behind the Chad border. People complain of lack of water, food and most importantly no jobs. Some have gone to Adre or back to Sudan to look for jobs.
May 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM
7. Refugees are almost entirely Masalit from El Geneina, once a major city in Darfur just behind the Chad border. People complain of lack of water, food and most importantly no jobs. Some have gone to Adre or back to Sudan to look for jobs.
6. The camps away from border are safe but there are in the middle of nowhere with no big market offering jobs. This is Farchana camp where tents have turned into permanent housing with bricks and wells. Last year there were mainly tents. This one is home to almost 60,000
May 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM
6. The camps away from border are safe but there are in the middle of nowhere with no big market offering jobs. This is Farchana camp where tents have turned into permanent housing with bricks and wells. Last year there were mainly tents. This one is home to almost 60,000
5. Adre, a city of 40,000 pre-war, is packed with 250,000 refugees. Authorities and UN have started moving them away from the border. Picture of a car in a convoy. There is more security away from Adre where weapons are hidden in camp but the city also provides jobs at the market
May 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM
5. Adre, a city of 40,000 pre-war, is packed with 250,000 refugees. Authorities and UN have started moving them away from the border. Picture of a car in a convoy. There is more security away from Adre where weapons are hidden in camp but the city also provides jobs at the market
4. The arrivals of Arab refugees potentially creates tensions with Masalat and other tribes expelled by the RSF. The UN is setting up new temp camps north of Adre in Tine which is closer to El Fasher and a route taken by refugees from Zam Zam camp
May 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM
4. The arrivals of Arab refugees potentially creates tensions with Masalat and other tribes expelled by the RSF. The UN is setting up new temp camps north of Adre in Tine which is closer to El Fasher and a route taken by refugees from Zam Zam camp
3. But also Arabs from Khartoum arrive in eastern Chad despite the long distance. They are targeted since the army conquered the capital, with some soldiers and people labeling them as RSF supporters. Made a rape victim from Khartoum
May 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM
3. But also Arabs from Khartoum arrive in eastern Chad despite the long distance. They are targeted since the army conquered the capital, with some soldiers and people labeling them as RSF supporters. Made a rape victim from Khartoum
2. Arrivals have been spiking since the RSF destroyed Zam Zam camp in El Fashir. Last week 11,000 came. Also from RSF-controlled El Geneina more non-Arabs arrive which are targeted by the Arab militia. I met someone with gun shot wounds and an amputated leg. Here are new arrivals
May 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM
2. Arrivals have been spiking since the RSF destroyed Zam Zam camp in El Fashir. Last week 11,000 came. Also from RSF-controlled El Geneina more non-Arabs arrive which are targeted by the Arab militia. I met someone with gun shot wounds and an amputated leg. Here are new arrivals
1. Eastern Chad is now home to 1.2 refugees including those who came when the Darfur conflict broke out in 2003 and Chadians who grew up in Sudan. But two years into the Sudan war, more and more refugees come
May 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM
1. Eastern Chad is now home to 1.2 refugees including those who came when the Darfur conflict broke out in 2003 and Chadians who grew up in Sudan. But two years into the Sudan war, more and more refugees come
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
May 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM
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
May 12, 2025 at 6:44 PM
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
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
May 8, 2025 at 3:24 PM
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
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
May 6, 2025 at 11:36 AM
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
8. The biggest worry of local leaders are that young and jobless Mauritanians will get radicalised (and go to Mali) for lack of opportunities and a feeling they are marginalised in their country because of the refugees - they see a camp with schools, clinics which they also need
April 29, 2025 at 12:42 PM
8. The biggest worry of local leaders are that young and jobless Mauritanians will get radicalised (and go to Mali) for lack of opportunities and a feeling they are marginalised in their country because of the refugees - they see a camp with schools, clinics which they also need