Faisal
@faisalahali.bsky.social
Freelance journalist reporting on Somalia and East Africa.
🔗 https://www.aljazeera.com/author/faisal-ali
🔗 https://www.aljazeera.com/author/faisal-ali
For the past two months, I’ve been reporting on a US drone strike in northern Somalia. The strike killed a clan elder, whom the US described as an al-Shabaab weapons dealer. Local authorities and residents are challenging that account.
For @dropsitenews.com
www.dropsitenews.com/p/somalia-un...
For @dropsitenews.com
www.dropsitenews.com/p/somalia-un...
“We never feared drones until they killed Omar"
In September, a U.S. drone strike in Somalia killed Omar Abdillahi, a well-known clan leader local officials and residents say had supported the local government
www.dropsitenews.com
December 23, 2025 at 11:29 AM
For the past two months, I’ve been reporting on a US drone strike in northern Somalia. The strike killed a clan elder, whom the US described as an al-Shabaab weapons dealer. Local authorities and residents are challenging that account.
For @dropsitenews.com
www.dropsitenews.com/p/somalia-un...
For @dropsitenews.com
www.dropsitenews.com/p/somalia-un...
The United States has dramatically intensified its military air campaign in Somalia, carrying out 111 strikes against armed groups, since President Donald Trump returned to office, according to the New America Foundation, which monitors the operations.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
US dramatically escalates air strikes on Somalia under Trump this year
Tump's strike total on conflict-ridden East African nation exceeds Bush, Obama and Biden administrations combined.
www.aljazeera.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:11 PM
The United States has dramatically intensified its military air campaign in Somalia, carrying out 111 strikes against armed groups, since President Donald Trump returned to office, according to the New America Foundation, which monitors the operations.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
Reposted by Faisal
"Arguably the most viral Somali social media moment since we found Nimco Happy or the 2020 Eid-ul-Fitr controversy..." africasacountry.com/2025/12/minn...
Minnesota was promised to us
Somalis have answered Trump’s latest racist tirade not with outrage but with a tidal wave of trolling.
africasacountry.com
December 11, 2025 at 4:52 PM
"Arguably the most viral Somali social media moment since we found Nimco Happy or the 2020 Eid-ul-Fitr controversy..." africasacountry.com/2025/12/minn...
Trump has ended TPS for Ethiopian refugees in a move that could impact almost 5,000 people. Despite that decision to State Department still advises people not to travel there.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
Trump strips legal protections from Ethiopian refugees in latest crackdown
US president orders 5,000 Ethiopians to leave in 60 days amid broader push to end protections for over one million.
www.aljazeera.com
December 13, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Trump has ended TPS for Ethiopian refugees in a move that could impact almost 5,000 people. Despite that decision to State Department still advises people not to travel there.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
Reposted by Faisal
This is not a good sign.
Press Release: #Eritrea has withdrawn its Membership from IGAD
shabait.com/2025/12/12/p...
Press Release: #Eritrea has withdrawn its Membership from IGAD
shabait.com/2025/12/12/p...
Press Release: Eritrea has withdrawn its Membership from IGAD
Eritrea has formally informed the IGAD Secretary General of its decision to withdraw from the Organization.Eritrea’s decision stems from, and is predicated, on the following poignant facts and…
shabait.com
December 12, 2025 at 11:54 AM
This is not a good sign.
Press Release: #Eritrea has withdrawn its Membership from IGAD
shabait.com/2025/12/12/p...
Press Release: #Eritrea has withdrawn its Membership from IGAD
shabait.com/2025/12/12/p...
I wrote this short essay for @africasacountry.bsky.social about Trump's attack on the Somali community and how smart their response to him has been.
Somalis have answered Trump’s latest racist tirade not with outrage but with a tidal wave of trolling. africasacountry.com/2025/12/minn...
Minnesota was promised to us
Somalis have answered Trump’s latest racist tirade not with outrage but with a tidal wave of trolling.
africasacountry.com
December 11, 2025 at 8:44 PM
I wrote this short essay for @africasacountry.bsky.social about Trump's attack on the Somali community and how smart their response to him has been.
I wrote about how members of the US Somali community responded to Trump’s racist remarks. Many are concerned, but others used the moment to satirically skewer the truisms Americans take for granted about their own history and about Palestine.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
From Mogadishu to Minneapolis, Somalis reject Trump’s bigoted remarks
Advocates warn that Trump's anti-Somali rhetoric has fuelled fear in US communities and anger abroad.
www.aljazeera.com
December 6, 2025 at 4:27 PM
I wrote about how members of the US Somali community responded to Trump’s racist remarks. Many are concerned, but others used the moment to satirically skewer the truisms Americans take for granted about their own history and about Palestine.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
Reposted by Faisal
Like in a lot of other places, we're striking to protect jobs here at Sheffield. Management have failed to negotiate with us in good faith, deliberately allowed this to escalate, and now want to lock us out of work for refusing to replace teaching that has been lost.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
University of Sheffield staff 'intimidated' by pay forfeit warning
University of Sheffield to withhold pay if staff do not make up for teaching missed while striking.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 3, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Like in a lot of other places, we're striking to protect jobs here at Sheffield. Management have failed to negotiate with us in good faith, deliberately allowed this to escalate, and now want to lock us out of work for refusing to replace teaching that has been lost.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Faisal
Algiers International Conference: Participants call for official acknowledgment of colonial crimes in Africa
al24news.dz/en/algiers-i...
al24news.dz/en/algiers-i...
Algiers International Conference: Participants call for official acknowledgment of colonial crimes in Africa - AL24 News
AL24 News - Algiers International Conference: Participants call for official acknowledgment of colonial crimes in Africa - Algeria
al24news.dz
December 2, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Algiers International Conference: Participants call for official acknowledgment of colonial crimes in Africa
al24news.dz/en/algiers-i...
al24news.dz/en/algiers-i...
I wrote a piece on the 1969 coups in Sudan, Libya, and Somalia that reshaped the region and whose impacts are still visible t/day.
I profile Barre, Nimeiri, and Gaddafi—the 'Class of 69'—exploring their ideological shifts and Nasser’s influence on them
somaliarchive77.substack.com/p/northeast-...
I profile Barre, Nimeiri, and Gaddafi—the 'Class of 69'—exploring their ideological shifts and Nasser’s influence on them
somaliarchive77.substack.com/p/northeast-...
Northeast Africa's dictators: the class of 69'
From Tripoli to Mogadishu, a generation of officers vowed to finish what independence started. Fifty years later, their coupvolutions still haunt the region.
somaliarchive77.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 2:25 PM
I wrote a piece on the 1969 coups in Sudan, Libya, and Somalia that reshaped the region and whose impacts are still visible t/day.
I profile Barre, Nimeiri, and Gaddafi—the 'Class of 69'—exploring their ideological shifts and Nasser’s influence on them
somaliarchive77.substack.com/p/northeast-...
I profile Barre, Nimeiri, and Gaddafi—the 'Class of 69'—exploring their ideological shifts and Nasser’s influence on them
somaliarchive77.substack.com/p/northeast-...
The colleagues at @africasacountry.bsky.social have republished my article on the rise of the military class now steering politics in several African countries — with Madagascar the latest example — and what is driving this problem.
africasacountry.com/2025/11/the-...
africasacountry.com/2025/11/the-...
The coup kids are in charge now
Across the continent’s new coup belt, young officers are stepping into power, casting themselves as guardians against corrupt civilian elites.
africasacountry.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:13 AM
The colleagues at @africasacountry.bsky.social have republished my article on the rise of the military class now steering politics in several African countries — with Madagascar the latest example — and what is driving this problem.
africasacountry.com/2025/11/the-...
africasacountry.com/2025/11/the-...
I joined Alex Thurston and @natkpowell.bsky.social for a conversation about how the end of the Cold War played out across the Sahel and Horn of Africa regions.
We also looked at the characters from that era and the legacies of their rule today. Check it out 👇
We also looked at the characters from that era and the legacies of their rule today. Check it out 👇
@faisalahali.bsky.social, Alex Thurston, and I have done a podcast episode on the end of the Cold War in West and East Africa. The discussion is wide-ranging, covering a variety of experiences of the late 1980s/early 1990s, and their legacies. Have a listen! alexthurston.substack.com/cp/179131463
Podcast Episode: The End of the Cold War from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa
I talk with Faisal Ali and Nathaniel Powell about a pivotal period in African history.
alexthurston.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:15 PM
I joined Alex Thurston and @natkpowell.bsky.social for a conversation about how the end of the Cold War played out across the Sahel and Horn of Africa regions.
We also looked at the characters from that era and the legacies of their rule today. Check it out 👇
We also looked at the characters from that era and the legacies of their rule today. Check it out 👇
Reposted by Faisal
@faisalahali.bsky.social, Alex Thurston, and I have done a podcast episode on the end of the Cold War in West and East Africa. The discussion is wide-ranging, covering a variety of experiences of the late 1980s/early 1990s, and their legacies. Have a listen! alexthurston.substack.com/cp/179131463
Podcast Episode: The End of the Cold War from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa
I talk with Faisal Ali and Nathaniel Powell about a pivotal period in African history.
alexthurston.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:03 PM
@faisalahali.bsky.social, Alex Thurston, and I have done a podcast episode on the end of the Cold War in West and East Africa. The discussion is wide-ranging, covering a variety of experiences of the late 1980s/early 1990s, and their legacies. Have a listen! alexthurston.substack.com/cp/179131463
Reposted by Faisal
honestly DRC deserved to advance and hopefully they make the World Cup. but horrendous display from us. maybe we'll finally get reform at the NFF
November 16, 2025 at 10:01 PM
honestly DRC deserved to advance and hopefully they make the World Cup. but horrendous display from us. maybe we'll finally get reform at the NFF
Somalia’s immigration agency confirms a data breach and is investigating its scale/cause.
Former 🇸🇴 telecoms minister Mohamed Ibrahim tells me authorities should’ve been more upfront instead of delaying.
🔗 aljazeera.com/news/2025/11...
Former 🇸🇴 telecoms minister Mohamed Ibrahim tells me authorities should’ve been more upfront instead of delaying.
🔗 aljazeera.com/news/2025/11...
Somalia confirms major data breach in electronic visa system
Officials launch probe days after breach emerged amid widespread concern and speculation over leaked data.
aljazeera.com
November 16, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Somalia’s immigration agency confirms a data breach and is investigating its scale/cause.
Former 🇸🇴 telecoms minister Mohamed Ibrahim tells me authorities should’ve been more upfront instead of delaying.
🔗 aljazeera.com/news/2025/11...
Former 🇸🇴 telecoms minister Mohamed Ibrahim tells me authorities should’ve been more upfront instead of delaying.
🔗 aljazeera.com/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Faisal
"But a covert proxy war between Ethiopia, Eritrea and their allies has, in effect, already begun. It needs worryingly little to explode into the open."
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Ethiopia is perilously close to another war
Conflict in Tigray could balloon into a regional conflagration
www.economist.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:45 PM
"But a covert proxy war between Ethiopia, Eritrea and their allies has, in effect, already begun. It needs worryingly little to explode into the open."
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Reposted by Faisal
Samir Zitouni, 48, was left with critical injuries after he confronted the perpetrator, who wounded 10 people on the Doncaster to London King's Cross service on Saturday.
www.newarab.com/news/algeria...
www.newarab.com/news/algeria...
Algerian worker praised for ’heroism’ during UK train attack
A rail worker who saved multiple lives during last week’s mass stabbing attack on a UK train has been named as Algerian Samir Zitouni.
www.newarab.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Samir Zitouni, 48, was left with critical injuries after he confronted the perpetrator, who wounded 10 people on the Doncaster to London King's Cross service on Saturday.
www.newarab.com/news/algeria...
www.newarab.com/news/algeria...
I spoke with three survivors of the RSF assault on el-Fasher. They described the city’s fall in harrowing detail and a desperate journey, carrying children and themselves wounded for days to reach safety in Tawila.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11...
New light shed on el-Fasher horror as survivors arrive in Sudan’s Tawila
Testimonies describe bodies in streets, families torn apart and days without food as paramilitary seizes Sudan city.
www.aljazeera.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:35 PM
I spoke with three survivors of the RSF assault on el-Fasher. They described the city’s fall in harrowing detail and a desperate journey, carrying children and themselves wounded for days to reach safety in Tawila.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Faisal
An ad in today’s LA Times paid for by San Francisco-based pro-Israel organization “Facts and Logic About the Middle East” calls accusations of Israel committing genocide in Gaza “blood libel” and says “genocide liars deserve the label of ‘antisemite’”
November 2, 2025 at 7:46 PM
An ad in today’s LA Times paid for by San Francisco-based pro-Israel organization “Facts and Logic About the Middle East” calls accusations of Israel committing genocide in Gaza “blood libel” and says “genocide liars deserve the label of ‘antisemite’”
Reposted by Faisal
Reading. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/w...
Working Past 100? In Japan, Some People Never Quit.
www.nytimes.com
November 1, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Reading. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/w...
I interviewed Sami Hamdi's wife and his legal team. He's a British-Tunisian commentator and pro-Palestine activist that has been detained by US immigration authorities. He's been held by ICE for almost a week now
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10...
‘Bring him home’: Sami Hamdi’s wife urges US to release UK journalist
Soumaya Hamdi describes shock detention at San Francisco airport as lawyers file emergency legal challenge.
www.aljazeera.com
November 1, 2025 at 5:06 PM
I interviewed Sami Hamdi's wife and his legal team. He's a British-Tunisian commentator and pro-Palestine activist that has been detained by US immigration authorities. He's been held by ICE for almost a week now
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10...
Reposted by Faisal
The night of rebellion that changed France and Algeria forever:
On the night of 31 October 1954, a series of attacks across colonial Algeria marked the start of the Algerian War – a bloody conflict that would last eight years.
rfi.my/B5iV.BS
On the night of 31 October 1954, a series of attacks across colonial Algeria marked the start of the Algerian War – a bloody conflict that would last eight years.
rfi.my/B5iV.BS
The night of rebellion that changed France and Algeria forever
On the night of 31 October 1954, a series of attacks across colonial Algeria marked the start of the Algerian War – a bloody conflict that would last eight years. Claimed by the newly formed National…
rfi.my
November 1, 2025 at 9:22 AM
The night of rebellion that changed France and Algeria forever:
On the night of 31 October 1954, a series of attacks across colonial Algeria marked the start of the Algerian War – a bloody conflict that would last eight years.
rfi.my/B5iV.BS
On the night of 31 October 1954, a series of attacks across colonial Algeria marked the start of the Algerian War – a bloody conflict that would last eight years.
rfi.my/B5iV.BS
Mohammed Zakaria lost sleep tracking el-Fasher’s fall, then saw on social media that his family had been killed.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10...
Sudanese activist sees his executed uncles in RSF videos from el-Fasher
Mohammed Zakaria lost sleep tracking el-Fasher’s fall, then saw on social media that his family had been killed.
www.aljazeera.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Mohammed Zakaria lost sleep tracking el-Fasher’s fall, then saw on social media that his family had been killed.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10...
Africa has seen a wave of coups over the last five years. I dug into why this pattern keeps repeating itself, even in countries with totally different circumstances.
somaliarchive77.substack.com/p/africas-mi...
somaliarchive77.substack.com/p/africas-mi...
Africa’s militaries re-enter the driver’s seat
Ten coups in five years have returned Africa’s soldiers to power. Cast as saviors against corrupt civilians, they now rule across the continent but history shows their promises rarely deliver.
somaliarchive77.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Africa has seen a wave of coups over the last five years. I dug into why this pattern keeps repeating itself, even in countries with totally different circumstances.
somaliarchive77.substack.com/p/africas-mi...
somaliarchive77.substack.com/p/africas-mi...
The Madagascar coup, though popularly backed, continues a long-running trend of the militarisation of African politics in recent years, beginning with the belt stretching from the Atlantic to the Red Sea, to Gabon to now Madagascar.
apnews.com/article/mada...
apnews.com/article/mada...
Leader of Madagascar's military coup tells AP he is 'taking the position of president'
The leader of Madagascar's military coup says he is “taking the position of president” and that the armed forces will remain in charge of the sprawling African island nation for up to two years before...
apnews.com
October 15, 2025 at 5:46 PM
The Madagascar coup, though popularly backed, continues a long-running trend of the militarisation of African politics in recent years, beginning with the belt stretching from the Atlantic to the Red Sea, to Gabon to now Madagascar.
apnews.com/article/mada...
apnews.com/article/mada...