This dystopian future is here now.
"Emily, who NPR is only identifying by her first name because she fears retribution from the federal government, says she followed an ICE vehicle at a safe distance into a parking lot.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/nx-...
Meanwhile, in the Horn of Africa:
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said his country does not want war, even as regional Tigray authorities say federal forces are massing around the northern region, raising fears of renewed conflict.
'How did a twelfth-century Sicilian cathedral end up in Mogadishu?': @faisalahali.bsky.social in discussion with @clairedillon.bsky.social.
26.02.2026 13:16 — 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
'Ethiopia, Libya, South Yemen & the Aden Pact', by @faisalahali.bsky.social.
22.02.2026 16:10 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Never in a million years did I ever fathom when I resurrected the Epstein story in 2018 that it would lead to first arrest of a British Royal in four centuries. Not since King Charles I was arrested in 1647.
open.substack.com/pub/jkbjourn...
I’ve long wanted to write about Mogadishu Cathedral, and I had the opportunity to interview @clairedillon.bsky.social, an art historian who has been uncovering fascinating stuff, from its “Arab-Norman” architectural origins to the reasons it was built.
somaliarchive77.substack.com/p/how-did-a-...
It was a pleasure to discuss the Cathedral of Mogadishu with journalist @faisalahali.bsky.social! You can read the interview on Socialist Somalia, and be sure to check out Faisal's other articles about the past century of Somali history.
somaliarchive77.substack.com/p/how-did-a-...
Three people displaced from el-Fasher shared their accounts of fleeing the city—both before and after its fall to the RSF—their journeys to the Tawila refugee camp, and the conditions they encountered there with me. Read here:
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/...
"...the more one relies on vice signaling as a style of action and communication, the less relevant and powerful the in-group’s moral compass is as a practical constraint on anyone’s behavior."
latest for @bostonreview.bsky.social
www.bostonreview.net/articles/emp...
If you want to zoom out on the Israel-Somaliland recognition story and what it augurs for the Horn of Africa region listen in.
I joined colleagues at Al Jazeera's The Take to unpack it:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAyx...
Hey Gavin, nice to hear from you man. Hope the story was useful
01.01.2026 13:10 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Israel has recognised Somaliland. I spoke with Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs about the move. He is, unsurprisingly, unhappy and also warned that Israel may be planning to displacement Palestinians there. Somaliland says it isn't directed at anyone.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...
For the most part, it isn’t clear who is being targeted, why and what the outcomes of these strikes are, beyond vague allusions to senior al-Shabaab or IS-Somalia figures being killed. Somali officials also appear to often be in the dark which is alarming.
23.12.2025 11:29 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0This report places scrutiny on frequent US claims following these strikes (which have now number more than 100 this year which is unprecedented) that no civilians have been killed. And even who it says it is hitting. Since around April the US hasn't even said whether civilians are being killed.
23.12.2025 11:29 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Regional authorities have published a report which disputed that claim and so have many locals who said he had nothing to do with the group and was wrongly killed. Somali officials said they could have arrested him had there been grounds for suspicion.
23.12.2025 11:29 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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...
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...
"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...
11.12.2025 16:52 — 👍 9 🔁 5 💬 0 📌 0
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...
This is not a good sign.
Press Release: #Eritrea has withdrawn its Membership from IGAD
shabait.com/2025/12/12/p...
Thank you!
13.12.2025 06:11 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0I 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.
11.12.2025 20:44 — 👍 28 🔁 16 💬 1 📌 0
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...
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...
Algiers International Conference: Participants call for official acknowledgment of colonial crimes in Africa
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-...
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-...
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 👇
@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
17.11.2025 15:03 — 👍 10 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 1honestly 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
16.11.2025 22:01 — 👍 22 🔁 1 💬 5 📌 0