Megatrends Africa: Drone warfare and the balance of military power in Africa

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.

**Guests: ** Dr Gerrit Kurtz is a Research Associate in the Africa and Middle East Research Division at SWP.

Dr Wolfram Lacher is a Project Director of Megatrends Africa and a Senior Associate in the Africa and Middle East Research Division at SWP.

Host: Esme Nicholson

Recommended Reading: Gerrit Kurtz, Denis M. Tull, Wolfram Lacher: The Myth of the Gamechanger: Drones and Military Power in Africa, Megatrends Policy Brief 33, 05.03.2025

Denis M. Tull: Lessons to Be Learned: Germany’s Crisis Management in Mali (2013–2023), SWP Research Paper 2024/RP 18, 10.12.2024

Gerrit Kurtz: How (Not) to Talk About the War in Sudan, Megatrends spotlight 30, 22.04.2024

Wolfram Lacher: Chad Navigates Multipolar Disorder. The Perils of Playing Geopolitics for Regime Survival, Megatrends Policy Brief 19, 11.12.2023

Benedikt Erforth, Anna Hörter, Wolfram Lacher, Lisa Tschörner: Megatrends and Conflict Dynamics in Africa: Multipolarity and Delegation in Foreign Interventions, Megatrends Working Paper 2022 02, 21.12.2022

Megatrends Africa is a joint project of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), the German Institute for Development and Sustainability (IDOS), and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW). The project receives funding from the German Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Federal Ministry of Defence.