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Experts on countries of origin by country

Abbas, Dr. Ahmed

Dr. Ahmed is often called upon to provide advisory services for international organizations, governments, and corporations navigating legal issues in the Middle East. His reputation for accuracy, sensitivity, and integrity is well-established, and he remains a trusted voice in both the legal and academic communities.

Occupation: Dr. Ahmed Abbas is a trusted expert in Middle Eastern law, politics, and culture, with two decades of experience providing expert witness testimony, consulting, and analysis for governments, multinational corporations, international NGOs, and legal teams. With a deep understanding of the region's complex legal systems and sociopolitical structures, Dr. Al-Fahad has earned a reputation for his reliable, nuanced, and clear assessments in cases involving geopolitical conflicts, family law, and cross-border legal disputes. His career has spanned a wide array of sectors, including international arbitration, human rights, political risk analysis, and Islamic jurisprudence. Known for his meticulous approach to research and an ability to convey complex concepts to diverse audiences, Dr.… Read more
Countries of expertise: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Afewerki, Dr Daniel

Country Witness Expert on East Africa, including Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, and Uganda.

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Expert at the international agency The Human Rights:
We provide expert witness reports for asylum cases worldwide, covering human rights violations, political persecution, and systemic oppression. Our reports are trusted by lawyers, courts, and immigration authorities in the UK, USA, Canada, and the EU.

Winner of the Expert Witness Awards in the category of Best Immigration, Asylum & Refugee Expert Witness 2024

Occupation: Country Witness Expert on East Africa
Human Rights Specialist
Academic Researcher
Legal Consultant on Refugee and Asylum Law
Countries of expertise: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda

Aguilar, Professor M.I.

Expertise on religion and politics in a number of African, Asian and Latin American countries - and in a number of languages. Current research includes China (Tibet), Chile, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Argentina, DRC, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Malawi and Zimbabwe; Libya and Syria

Occupation: Chair in Religion and Politics & Director, Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics (CSRP), University of St. Andrews
Countries of expertise: Brazil, Burundi, China, Colombia, Cote d`Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Ahmed, Omer

Omer is a Somali speaking solicitor (presently non-practicing), with expertise on all aspects of irregular migration from Africa and Yemen. He is based in the region with offices in the UK, and with extensive experience of delivering clear concise and cogent subject matter expertise to UK courts.

Occupation: Lawyer
Countries of expertise: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen

Anderson, Danica

Dr. Danica Anderson is a US-based international social scientist, researcher, and forensic counselor (criminal justice specialist) with a doctorate in clinical psychology. Dr. Anderson is a member of the UNESCO scientific and education CID council and of the International Criminal Court, a Psycho-social Victim Gender Expert for trauma with war crimes and war crimes survivors. She is a trauma clinician who has traveled the world bearing witness to―and researching how to heal transgenerational trauma and continues to make crisis responses while addressing the needs of immigrants and refugees during and in the aftermath of natural disasters and wars. Trauma response and social science and research fieldwork occurred in Afghanistan, Haiti, India, Sri Lanka, and many conflict-ridden regions and war regions.

Dr. Anderson's international trauma work occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa for the International Criminal Court and the United Nations World Food Program in Sudan. In former Yugoslavia, Bosnia Herzegovina, her study and clinically informed trauma for over two decades provided an archive of information on women's transgenerational trauma for war and war crimes survivors involving asylum and visas. Dr. Anderson worked with Mexico's National Human Rights, Mexico City, and the… Read more

Occupation: Social Scientist - Researcher-Trauma Expert
Countries of expertise: Afghanistan, Austria, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Republic of), Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia, South Korea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda, United States of America

Annoni, Danielle

Danielle Annoni is an associate professor of International Law and Human Rights at the Federal University of Parana (UFPR-Brazil), where she coordinates the Human Rights Observatory and Legal Practice in Human Rights and Migration. She has been conducting human rights research for 18 years. She is an educator, a mother and an active human rights defender, with a focus on migration, gender and the Latin American human rights protection system. Because of her work developed with vulnerable groups regarding the education of labor rights, the empowering of women through handicraft and gastronomy fairs, advocacy in the mediation of cultural conflicts, and access to justice and education, she has received several awards.

Occupation: International Migration Law Professor and legal consultant
Countries of expertise: Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, Mozambique, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Senegal, Spain, Sudan, Timor-Leste, Venezuela

Bangura, Ibrahim

Ibrahim Bangura has worked extensively in the fields of Transitional Justice, Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants, Security Sector Reform, Sustainable Livelihoods, Gender and Conflict Resolution in Africa.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History and a Master’s degree in Gender Studies from University of Sierra Leone; another Master’s degree in International Development Studies from the University of Amsterdam; and a Doctorate degree in Economics from the Leipzig Graduate School of Management in Germany.

He currently lectures at the Peace and Conflict Studies Programme, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, and he is also a senior partner at Transition International, a consultancy firm based in the Netherlands.

Occupation: Consultant
Countries of expertise: Belgium, Central African Republic, Cote d`Ivoire, Cyprus, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe

Bekalo (MEd, PhD), Dr Samuel Ayele

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

Occupation: Freelance Horn of Africa Countries Advisor / Consultant
Countries of expertise: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, United Kingdom

Birchall, John

The Expert reads all relevant papers relating to a client free of charge and produces a short report on the case details. He relates these to the evidence already given and how he considers the subsequent hearing will be influenced by these. He rejects requests, if he feels there is very little chance of the client being offered permission to remain. He accepts payment in instalments.

Occupation: Lecturer in Development Economics
Countries of expertise: Cameroon, Congo (Republic of), Cote d`Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Namibia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Cameron, Dr Hazel

Dr Hazel Margaret Cameron – Expert Witness and Country Specialist Independent expert on barriers to reintegration and risks on return in a range of African countries, with evidence judicially commended and relied upon in the UK, US, EU, and Hong Kong. Dr Cameron is a critical criminologist and internationally recognised expert witness specialising in barriers to reintegration faced by failed asylum seekers and deportees. 

Her expertise covers: 

Pan-Africa human trafficking and re-trafficking risksGender-based violence (GBV) and domestic abuseFemale genital mutilation (FGM)Pan-Africa LGBTIQ+ persecutionPolitical violence from state and non-state actorsAvailability of healthcare, employment, housing, and socio-economic survival on returnEffective state protection Feasibility of internal relocation Plausibility assessmentsDocument authentication

Dr Cameron has been instructed in more than three hundred cases of asylum, deportation, and human rights cases, including claims under Articles 3 and 8 ECHR. Her reports have been relied upon in courts and tribunals in the UK, US, EU, and Hong Kong. Judicial decisions consistently commend her evidence as “cogent, impartial, and highly persuasive,” describing it as “compelling, impartially applied, with a… Read more

Occupation: Academic Consultant
Countries of expertise: Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo (Republic of), Cote d`Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Daryn, Dr Gil

Dr. Gil Daryn brings over two decades of hands-on and academic experience in anthropology, human rights, and refugee policy, with work spanning globally significant regions including South Asia, the Middle East, and the UK. His fluency in English, Hebrew, and Nepali enhances his cultural dexterity, making him uniquely capable of navigating complex humanitarian contexts. With a Ph.D. from Cambridge and a record of collaboration with global organizations like UNHCR and The Carter Center, Dr. Daryn’s insights are both academically grounded and practically impactful. He demonstrates strong leadership in multicultural environments and a track record of delivering high-quality ethnographic and policy research. This rich blend of analytical depth and real-world experience makes him an exceptional candidate ready to contribute meaningfully to your team’s objectives.

Occupation: Dr. Gil Daryn is an accomplished anthropologist with a passion for understanding cultures and people across South Asia and beyond. With a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, he has spent over two decades working on the ground with refugee communities, rural populations, and development organizations. Whether it's through fieldwork in Nepal, consulting for asylum cases, or lecturing at top universities, Dr. Daryn brings both academic depth and real-world perspective to everything he does. His work blends deep empathy with rigorous research, making him a go-to expert for anyone navigating the complexities of human rights, displacement, and community development in the region.
Countries of expertise: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Israel, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tibet, United Kingdom, United States of America

Elnoor, Abubakr

Abubakr Elnoor is an expert in law, conflict analysis, linguistics, and language education, with extensive academic and professional experience in both Sudan and the United States.

He was born in Darfur, Sudan, and holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Khartoum. He passed the Sudanese Bar Exam and became a certified attorney, later serving as a lecturer at the University of Dongola.

Dr. Elnoor has over a decade of experience in language instruction and cultural training. He has served in multiple roles at the Defense Language Institute, including Assistant Professor of Arabic, Academic Specialist, and Acting Site Director. In these roles, he taught Arabic language and culture, with a focus on honor-based disputes, ethnic and sectarian tensions, and the cultural drivers of conflict in the Middle East and Africa. He also led teams of language and cultural experts, developed curriculum on East African societies, and trained U.S. military personnel in cultural awareness and mediation.

He earned his Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Nova Southeastern University, where he also served as a Teaching Assistant and Community Resolution Specialist. He holds several… Read more

Occupation: Language and COI Expert
Countries of expertise: Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan

Gabbay, Shaul

Dr. Shaul Gabbay completed a BA at Bar Ilan University and an MA at Tel-Aviv University. In 1991 he received a Presidential Fellowship from the U.S. to continue his studies. In 1995 he completed the PhD program at Columbia University in New York and received an invitation from the University of Chicago for a Post Doctoral program. In 1998 Dr. Gabbay returned to Israel to join the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Professor Gabbay joined the University of Denver as the Director of the Institute for the Study of Israel in the Middle East at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies in 2001- 2010.  He continued his research at DU as a Senior Scholar until 2015 when he was appointed Director of the Global Research Institute.

His areas of expertise include Middle East cultures and societal norms,   Middle East conflicts, and human rights issues existing in Muslim societies.  He is regularly cited and acts as a commentator in national and international media such as the Associated Press, CBS, NBC, FOX and MSNBC.

Occupation: Muslim World Expert
Countries of expertise: Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Gaza Strip, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Yemen

Hafidh, Dr Hasan

The Expert is a Lecturer in Comparative Politics and International Relations of the Middle East. 

Occupation: Lecturer in Comparative Politics of the Middle East (Gulf Specialism), Expert of Islamic Countries
Countries of expertise: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Nasr, Hatem

CEO and founder at Xsolutions Ltd, is an experienced advocate in the appellate court of Egypt. With over 12 years of practice, they specialize in various legal areas, including Egyptian Civil Law, human rights, domestic abuse, trade regulations, criminal law, and Sharea (Islamic Law). They collaborate closely with lawyers, judges, and the Ministry of Interior on national security and civil registration cases. Additionally, they provide reports related to human rights, asylum, gender violence, and political persecution.

Occupation: CEO and founder at Xsolutions Ltd
Countries of expertise: Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates

Otiso, Kefa M.

Kefa M. Otiso is a Professor of Geography at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA. His research interests are in urbanization, globalization, international migration, development, environment, governance, and cultural change in the context of Africa and North America. He teaches a variety of courses in urban, economic, population, and cultural geography, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications. He was the founding president of the US-based Kenya Scholars and Studies Association (KESSA) and is a former Commissioner on Ohio’s New African Immigrants Commission. He is a past editor of the African Geographical Review and has presented papers at many national and international conferences including those organized by the Kenya Scholars and Studies Association, American Association of Geographers, African Studies Association, and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. He is a frequent media commentator on US, Kenyan, and other international news outlets. He is also the author of Culture and Customs of Tanzania (Greenwood Press, 2013) and Culture and Customs of Uganda (Greenwood Press, 2006), co-author of Population Geography: Problems, Concepts, and Prospects (Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2013), co-editor of African Immigrants and the… Read more

Occupation: Professor
Countries of expertise: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda

O’Reilly, Karen

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. 

Occupation: Country Expert, Writer, Refugee Resettlement Expert
Countries of expertise: Central African Republic, Cote d`Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Liberia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda

Pacifico, Andrea Pacheco

Dr. Pacifico has been an international lawyer since 1993, with expertise in International Human Rights Law, particularly human rights of refugees and forced migrants, since 1997. She has been an associate professor for Law and International Relations at Maceio, Brasilia, and Joao Pessoa universities since 1997.  She has taught International Law/Relations, Human Rights, and Refugee and Migration Issues for more than two decades. Dr. Pacifico has also presented seminars, given lectures and interviews, published papers, supervised theses and dissertations on these issues, and my own research principally focuses on human rights of legal minorities and human rights protections of refugees and legal minorities in Brazil and abroad.

Currently, Dr. Pacifico is a full-time associate professor in International Relations at Paraiba State University and a full-time collaborator/researcher at the Post-Graduate Program in Comparative Studies on the Americas, at University of Brasilia, both in Brazil, in addition to being a Senior Research Associate at the Refugee Law Initiative at University of London, UK. She was a post-doctoral fellow at the York University Centre for Refugee Studies, Canada (2009 to 2010), visiting research fellow at the Refugee Studies… Read more

Occupation: Professor
Countries of expertise: Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, Mozambique, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Senegal, Spain, Sudan, Timor-Leste, Venezuela

Reisen, Mirjam van

Mirjam van Reisen is Professor International Relations, Innovation and Care at Tilburg University and Professor of FAIR Data Science at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) at Leiden University. Van Reisen is Research Leader of the Globalization, Accessibility, Innovation and Care (GAIC) network and Project Director for the Digital Innovation and Skills Hub (DISH), part of the Africa University Network on FAIR Open Science (AUN). Her teaching experience includes, among others, the University of Pavia, Tilburg University, Amsterdam University College, Leiden University and the College of Europe.

Van Reisen is the Director of the organisation Research Advisors & Experts Europe (RAEE) in Brussels. Van Reisen is the Principle Investigator of VODAN Africa. She is a Member of the Supervisory Board of PharmAccess.

Van Reisen was a member of the Dutch Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV) and Chair of the Development Assistance Committee (COS) from 2013 to 2020. She was a member of the Board of Philips Foundation and the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation until 2020.

Mirjam van Reisen has published extensively on Europe and international… Read more

Occupation: Professor of International Relations Innovation and Care at Tilburg University
Professor of FAIR Data Science at Leiden University Medical Centre
Countries of expertise: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan

Tushar, Md Solaiman

The Expert is a Barrister-at-Law of England and Wales. The Expert is a practicing Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. He holds the position of Head of Chambers at "LexAria and Jurists" (link : https://lexariaandjurists.com/) , and President at "Justice for All', with nearly a decade's experience in legal practice. The expert regularly moves before the Supreme Court of Bangladesh for various matters including Writ (Judicial Review), Criminal and Civil Appeal and Revision, Bail Petition, Intellectual Property, Company Matter, Inheritance, Public Interest Litigation, Muslim Personal Law, Succession Law, Hindu Law, etc.

As a practicing Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, the expert is legally qualified to verify any legal documents including case, GD, judgments and other relevant documents, and check records from the government office of Bangladesh including Courts and Tribunals unless restricted by the law or relevant office. 

Parallel to his legal pursuits, the expert is the Legal Affairs and Political Editor of The Daily Campus and columnist. Accumulatively, he possesses over 18 years of sustained experience as a Journalist in Bangladesh, having written extensively on a broad range of issues, including human rights, the criminal justice… Read more

Occupation: Barrister-at-Law, Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh, Researcher, Journalist, and Columnist.
Countries of expertise: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe