Hello, I’m Salem Solomon.

I’m a digital, multimedia journalist with the Voice of America’s Africa Division, where I cover the latest news from across the continent.

I report and edit in English, Amharic and Tigrigna, and my work has appeared in The New York Times, Poynter.org, Reuters, The Tampa Bay Times and The Washington Post. I also produce data-driven multimedia stories and research trends in analytics and digital journalism.

I invite you to check out my stories, multimedia projects, media appearances and résumé.

Recent Stories

August 16, 2019

Nigerian Sheikh Abruptly Returns Home from Medical Trip to India

Ibrahim El-Zakzaky was released from four years' detention for trip

August 13, 2019

Uganda Internet Registration Stirs Free Speech Concerns

Uganda expands its enforcement of a year-old social media regulation, levying the fee on news organizations and social media influencers with large followings

August 09, 2019

Report: Eritrean High Schoolers Face Forced Labor, Abuse 

Eritrea's use of secondary schools to channel students into indefinite government service and its conscription of teachers perpetuate forced labor and physical abuse, according to Human Rights Watch 

August 05, 2019

Ugandan Activist Sentenced for Vulgar Poem About President

Professor Stella Nyanzi sentenced to nine more months in prison for committing ‘cyber harassment and offensive communication’ when she posted a provocative poem on Facebook about President Yoweri Museveni

July 26, 2019

Ethiopia Releases Israeli Businessman Imprisoned Since 2015

Menashe Levy was arrested four years ago for financial crimes after working in Ethiopia for about seven years, managing the local branch of an Israeli mining company; he was released following ongoing diplomatic efforts

July 25, 2019

Ethiopia's First Female Supreme Court Chief Hopes to Rebuild Trust

As part of sweeping reforms, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed Meaza Ashenafi to be the first woman to lead the country's Supreme Court. This charismatic lawyer has built a career advocating for women. VOA'S Salem Solomon has this profile.

July 19, 2019

Forced Displacement Causes Controversy in Ethiopia's Omo Valley

New report highlights dire conditions for displaced indigenous people in Ethiopia's Lower Omo Valley; government says the developments will lift people out of poverty

July 13, 2019

Jailed Eritrean Man Mistaken for Human Trafficking Kingpin Faces Deportation

After more than three years in prison an Eritrean man accused of running a human trafficking ring has been acquitted by an Italian court

July 05, 2019

Assassinations, Arrests Test Ethiopia’s Fragile Push Toward Democracy

Ethiopian Prime Minister undeterred after latest violence

June 29, 2019

Experts Warn Mali Border Violence Could Spiral Out of Control 

Militant groups are exploiting intercommunal conflict, further destabilizing what is already one of the Sahel region's most lawless areas 

Media Appearances

I make frequent appearances on TV, radio and web shows to discuss events unfolding across Africa. My comments have appeared on VOA broadcasts, Al Jazeera and Newsy.

Watch My Appearances

Essays & Analysis

The New York Times Magazine

‘They’re Going to Come for Us’: A Teenage Girl Caught in a War’s Riptides

My father knew we were next. “They’re going to come for us,” he’d say, after Meles Zenawi, then the prime minister of Ethiopia, told the country on national television in July 1998 that Eritreans weren’t welcome.

Columbia Journalism Review

The 'North Korea of Africa'? Not so fast.

For years, news outlets in Europe and North America have aimed to cover African places and people in terms familiar to their audiences.

Foreign Policy

Life in Eritrea’s News Desert

What the country teaches the world about the importance of an independent press.

Washington Post

No, al-Shabab is not deadlier than Boko Haram. Here are better numbers.

For years, Boko Haram has carried the dubious distinction of being Africa’s deadliest terrorist group.

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