From Warlords to Statelords. Armed Groups and Power Trajectories in Libya and Yemen
Journal: Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Year: 2022

In Libya and Yemen armed groups play a central role. Pervading weak and contested institutions, they have gradually brought their webs of survival, profit and governance under the state umbrella: warlords have become the new lords of the state. Armed groups control most of the energy revenues, critical infrastructure, smuggling and illicit trafficking. Their leaders are multifaceted: they are simultaneously military commanders, tribal chiefs, politicians and businessmen. Combining comparative an