Experts on countries of origin by country

Daniel is an Independent social worker and director of social work immigration matters specialising in assessments with separated asylum seeking children and families facing uncertainty with immigration matters. Providing expert reports  including international reunification assessments, best interest assessments (deportation), and age assessments. Daniel takes instructions from well-established legal firms in addition to well known charitable organisations working in the migration field. 

As a qualified social worker Daniel has managed services across the spectrum of statutory social work services from assessment through to adoption, and brings an extensive level of experience in providing services to separated (asylum seeking), children and families.

Throughout his career Daniel has provided guidance to numerous governmental agencies including assignments abroad in France and Albania. Daniel has represented services at the London Asylum Consortium (LASC),and has been part of the ADCS sub-group on age assessment and has produced anti-trafficking policy. 

With a keen interest in developing others Daniel holds a role at Sussex University as the School Tutor within the social work department. 

Higher Legal Expert specialising in human rights, political persecution, and refugee protection East Africa, with experience preparing expert reports, conducting nationality assessments, and providing testimony before UK and US courts and tribunals.

Dr. Ahmad is a Reader in Global Health Humanities with expertise in country-of-origin information, migration, and asylum-related issues. Her Country Expert work focuses on producing clear, evidence-based analysis to support legal and policy decision-making. She has published widely in high impact academic journals, media articles, and international conferences. She is committed to accuracy, impartiality, and maintaining high professional standards in all consulting engagements.

Dr. Allo is a senior legal scholar specializing in human rights, political repression, conflict sensitivity, social movements, political parties, post-conflict reconstruction, peace-building, and transitional justice. A native of the Horn of Africa, Dr. Allo possesses extensive knowledge and experience in the region.

Over the past five years, Dr. Allo has been commissioned by law firms, public bodies, and NGOs to prepare country expert reports on various issues, including political repression, political parties, social movements, protests, nationality laws, healthcare provisions, national service, trafficking, and other cultural and social matters.

Dr. Allo has authored over 100 country expert reports for solicitors and attorneys in the UK, USA, and Europe.

Freelance Horn of Africa advisor/consultant.  Produced over 100 country reports (on Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, The Sudan) for various organisations and legal firms.

Dr. Merga Yonas Bula is a doctoral graduate of Leipzig University's Institute for Media and Communications Science. He is the author of the 2023 book, "Transnational Communication and Identity Construction in Diaspora: A Comparative Analysis of Four Diaspora Communities from the Horn of Africa" (Springer VS).

He currently lectures in Political Communication at the DW Akademie, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, and conducts research at the Research Center Development Communication (EC4SC) at Leipzig University.

Kendra Dupuy is a social science researcher and Assistant Professor of African politics. She has expertise with quantitative & qualitative research on energy, climate change, environment, natural resource management, democracy, human rights, civil society, education, and forced migration. She is a certified project manager, technical writer, and program & project evaluator. She has has deep expertise in the African region and specifically on countries in West Africa, East Africa, southern Africa, and the DR Congo.

Temesgen Gebrehiwet is an independent researcher and country expert specialising in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and the broader Horn of Africa, with particular expertise in political conditions, human rights, forced migration, and state governance structures. He holds an MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford and an LLB in Law.

He has native fluency in Tigrinya and professional fluency in Amharic, providing direct linguistic access to primary sources and community networks unavailable to most researchers. He has lived experience of the Eritrean political context, including the impact of indefinite national service conscription, restrictions on freedom of movement.

He is a researcher affiliated with Chatham House (Chatham House Academy), the Mixed Migration Centre, and has contributed to the FCDO-funded THEA programme (Ashden/Mercy Corps Europe). 

I am an international practitioner working across Africa and the Middle East, supporting complex cross-border and regional matters. My work is grounded in practical experience, cultural awareness, and careful judgment in sensitive situations.

I am a French citizen of Cameroonian origin, shaped by dual Francophone and Anglophone cultural roots, within my African cultural heritage. I hold a master’s degree in mass communication and journalism alongside several postgraduate qualifications in audiovisual communication, corporate governance, and other studies in applied anthropology, and in economics.

 My academic training in journalism— particularly the theory of "Information and Evidence" — underpins my methodological approach as a country conditions expert witness, combining the rigour of investigative journalism with the independence and scepticism required to assess credibility and weigh sources at the standard demanded by courts and tribunals.

As a permanent press correspondent  based in the Geneva area since 1993 and accredited as a permanent press correspondent at UN Headquarters (1995–2005), I have built an extensive network across UN agencies (OHCHR, UNHCR, IOM, WHO, UNAIDS, and others) and I maintain direct contacts with journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, and officials across Africa. 

I combine published documentary research with original interviews — both with asylum claimants and with in-country sources — to… Read more

The Expert is a social anthropologist with special interest on Anthropology and ethnography in Africa.

Dr. Gospel Obele – Research and Development Economist with 11+ years of senior-level experience in economic strategy, market intelligence, and policy innovation.

Write over 25 articles, reports and publication, advising 50+ high-profile institutions with combined $850m in earnings, across 30+ sectors and 10+ countries.

Delivered 350+ expert media appearances (BBC, Al Jazeera, CGTN, Arise TV, Africa News) as a recognized voice on markets, economy, and social development.

Karen O’Reilly is a country expert who has produced over 300 reports for asylum, criminal, deportation, high profile and country guidance cases in the UK, US, and Canada. Her expertise derives in large part from her extensive experience as a Refugee Resettlement Expert and Protection Officer for UNHCR, beginning in 2006. She is also a writer who has published extensively on refugee-related issues. 

Dr Paszkiewicz is an anthropologist with over 20 years of experience in Refugee Studies, with a geographical focus on the Horn of Africa and Eritrean forced migration in particular. 

Experienced international trade and logistics expert specializing in infrastructure procurement, supply chain management, cross-border commercial operations, and strategic market development across emerging markets.

Dr David Seddon is a social scientist with more than 40 years experience in Africa and the Middle East, and Nepal, who has produced around 500 country expert witness reports 

Her academic and professional qualifications include an undergraduate in Psychology (Academic year: 1997) and a postgraduate degree and training (Academic year: 1997-98 and 1999-2000) in Clinical Psychology; clinical work is diverse and covers assessment and therapy for adults and minority ethnic groups for various conditions. As a multilingual psychologist with multi-cultural experience, she can assess efficiently and provide culturally emotional sensitive service

Her employment history involves working as a psychologist:

She used to work with Nafas Drug Treatment Centre, Age Concern, Special People, Social Action for Health, The UK Centre for Counselling & Psychotherapy, London School of Psychology and Health, Flow Neuroscience and Centre for Psychological Health (She has prepared numerous well-referenced expert reports for UK institutions including the Family Court, Immigration Court, Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions, and Land Registry. Her work integrates factual findings with comprehensive assessments and evidence-based analysis. She has prepared over 150 expert psychological and country reports, guided by a strong commitment to ethical and professional standards.

Professional Memberships and Affiliations:

She is… Read more