Bio
Walid Al Nofal
Walid Al Nofal is a journalist with Syria Direct originally from Daraa province in southern Syria. He worked as a field reporter shortly after the Syrian revolution began in 2011 until he moved to Jordan in 2013. Today, Walid’s work focuses on documenting humanitarian violations committed by various actors in the Syrian conflict.
Latest Articles
Can Suwayda’s factions enforce security and stop the spread of weapons?
Weapons have spread across Suwayda, many in the hands of civilians who took them from the former regime’s military and security sites when the army fled the Druze-majority southern province one day before Assad fell.
Manbij suffers seventh car bombing since SDF expelled
A car bombing in the eastern Aleppo city of Manbij killed at least 15 people on Monday. It was the seventh similar attack to hit the city since the Turkish-backed SNA seized it from the SDF in December, sparking accusations.
Who is Atef Najib, the man who fanned the flames of revolution in Daraa?
Syrian security forces arrested Brigadier General Atef Najib in Latakia on Friday. Najib, Bashar al-Assad’s cousin, was involved in the March 2011 torture of children by the Political Security Branch in Daraa, the incident that sparked the revolution.
Protection or intervention? Focus on Syria’s minorities sparks controversy, fuels hate speech
Since the Assad regime fell, repeated local and international calls for the new government in Damascus to provide guarantees for Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities have sparked controversy and fueled hate speech.
What comes next for Syria’s White Helmets?
The Syrian Civil Defense, once only able to operate in opposition-held territory, deployed its 3,300 volunteers across most of the country as the Assad regime fell. What comes next for the rescue organization?
With new authorities in Damascus, Daraa communities monitor local governance
Communities in Daraa have taken care of themselves for years, fundraising to provide services and even paying teacher salaries to compensate for an absent state. With new authorities in Damascus, local initiatives arise to monitor local governance and root out corruption.
Zaatari camp’s economy collapses with the fall of the Assad regime
The Zaatari refugee camp’s bustling economy ground to a halt when the Assad regime fell. Local shopkeepers say the value of their businesses has collapsed as residents uncertain about their future in Jordan save money and only buy necessities.
A city apart: Raqqa residents fear ‘separatism’ and the ‘IS card’
SDF-held Raqqa city is tense, its nights under curfew punctuated by gunfire and arrests. Residents feel cut off from the rest of Syria, fearing the possibility of partition and a return of IS.
Minor improvement, increased demand: What comes next for the Syrian pound?
The Central Bank of Syria aims to close the gap between the Syrian pound’s official exchange rate and its black market price, following a “momentary improvement” in its value when the regime fell.
Protests and SDF defections: Discontent simmers in eastern Deir e-Zor
Several commanders defected from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Deir e-Zor in recent days, amid demonstrations and simmering anger in the SDF-held countryside.