Contemporary armed conflicts are often waged beyond the traditional battlefield and the lives of civilians are affected by increasing levels of violence. Our experts explain why conflicts have become more complex, why lasting peace is difficult to achieve and how civilians can be better protected.

This podcast was produced as part of the project “War without limits: Advancing approaches to reducing civilian harm in contemporary armed conflicts” and was financially supported by the Federal Foreign Office.

**Guests: **

Judith Vorrath is senior researcher at SWP’s International Security Division. Her work focuses on specific features of current armed conflict as well as UN peace and security.

Sandra Kraehenmann is the deputy head of the Policy, Research and Legal unit at “Geneva Call”, an organization that strives to protect civilians from the dangers of armed conflict.

Dina El Mamoun is director of the „Center for Civilians in Conflict“, CIVICS, an organization that works with communities on peacebuilding.

Host: Esme Nicolson

**Recommended reading: **

Judith Vorrath und Laura Marcela Zuñiga, Key Features of Illicit Economies in African Conflicts: Insights from the Reports of UN Panels of Experts, SWP Comment 2022/C 36, 23.05.2022

Wolfram Lacher, African Conflicts amid Multipolarity: Implications of a Changing Actor Landscape, Megatrends Policy Brief 03, 27.04.2022

Mareike Transfeld, Three Scenarios for the Yemen War: Ceasefire Negotiations, North-South Confrontation or Division, SWP Comment 2022/C 06, 28.01.2022