Covering a sprawling continent with dozens of countries is a daunting challenge. My job is to report in depth on themes and trends that span many countries — most recently, Africa’s extraordinary youth boom and an unusual spate of military coups. I also cover the news with colleagues from across the continent, providing analysis and historical context. I specialize in investigative reporting that uncovers the hidden machinations driving major stories. Foreign meddling in Africa, often in pursuit of rare minerals or strategic advantage, is a frequent theme. But the most powerful stories often come through individuals, and I strive to give voice to the most vulnerable members of the societies I cover.
I joined The Times in 2011 after seven years covering Pakistan and Afghanistan for The Guardian. Two years later, I was expelled from Pakistan for my reporting. In 2015 I moved to Cairo, reporting across the Middle East, but took a detour to the United States for six months in 2016 to write Abroad in America, a column about the presidential election. Since 2020 I’ve been based in Kenya — my second stint in the country, where I lived for five years as a freelance reporter in the early 2000s.
Born and raised in the west of Ireland, I attended University College Dublin and Dublin City University. I’ve also written for The New York Times Magazine and Granta. I was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize, and in 2019 I won a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for my reporting from Yemen. In 2020 I published a book, “The Nine Lives of Pakistan,” that won the Cornelius Ryan Award for nonfiction from the Overseas Press Club of America.
Journalistic independence is a cornerstone of our work at The Times; our standards are outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook. I don’t accept free trips or other benefits. I identify myself as a reporter for The Times when I contact people, and am careful to protect the identity of those who need to remain anonymous to share sensitive information with me. In my reporting, I prioritize the voices of the powerless, and am grateful to anyone who allows me to tell their story.
Email: declan.walsh@nytimes.com
X: @declanwalsh
Instagram: @declanjwalsh
LinkedIn: Declan Walsh
Anonymous tips: nytimes.com/tips
Thirty years after a devastating genocide, Rwanda has made impressive gains. But ethnic divisions persist under an iron-fisted president who has ruled for just as long.
By Declan Walsh
The two countries are pushing ahead with the plan despite criticism from Kenyan rights groups and opposition from a Kenyan court.
By Abdi Latif Dahir and Declan Walsh
Rape, killing, torture: A stark report offers new evidence of horrific abuses carried out by Sudan’s military and its enemy, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
By Nick Cumming-Bruce and Declan Walsh
A photojournalist followed some Palestinians whose lives were ripped apart in one of the deadliest wars of the 21st century.
By Declan Walsh and Samar Abu Elouf
A contingent of 1,000 Kenyan officers was intended to lead a multinational force financed by the United States to restore security in a Caribbean country terrorized by armed gangs.
By Declan Walsh and Frances Robles
Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan was greeted by African leaders as if he had already won Sudan’s civil war. His forces have secretly been armed by the United Arab Emirates, an as-yet unpublished U.N. report found.
By Declan Walsh
Officials of the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen threatened to respond to American-led airstrikes over the past two days.
By Declan Walsh and Raja Abdulrahim
The Central African nation’s vote drew accusations of fraud, but the elections commissioner declared that the incumbent, Felix Tshisekedi, had won.
By Declan Walsh and Abdi Latif Dahir
Despite its bravado in public, the Kremlin has indicated its interest in striking a deal to halt the war — so long as it could still declare victory.
By Anton Troianovski, Adam Entous and Julian E. Barnes
The capture by paramilitary forces of Wad Madani, a strategic city in the country’s agricultural region, marks a watershed in the civil war that has upended life in the northeast African nation.
By Abdi Latif Dahir
