Ahmed M. Musa is a Senior Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), where he is researching ‘Aid Accountability’ and ‘Democratisation/Elections’. Between 2020-2022, Ahmed undertook research on ‘Diaspora Humanitarianism’ as part of his Postdoctoral Research. Between 2016-2020,  he did his PhD research on Livestock  Trade on the Berbera Corridor at the University of Nairobi.

Between 2012-2016, he was Director of Research at the Observatory of Conflict and Violence Prevention (OCVP). For 11 years, he has researched governance, political economy, livestock trade, economic corridors, humanitarianism, and elections.

Dr. Amal Ali is a visiting fellow at the Institute for Strategic Insights and Research, Dean of Law at the Frantz Fanon University, the principal lawyer at the AQN International Law Firm, and lectures at the University of Hargeisa.

Dr. Ali has a Ph.D. in Law and an LL.M in International and European Law from the University of Sheffield, UK. Her extensive background includes being a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Lincoln researching international law and human rights, writing publications on intersectionality, and traveling around the world as a key-note speaker.

Dr. Abdilahi Ismail Abdilahi holds a postdoctoral degree in Research from Wuhan University of Technology, a Ph.D. in Diplomacy from Central China Normal University (CCNU), a Master of Arts degree in international relations from Central China Normal University (CCNU), and a Bachelor’s Degree in Chinese Language and Literature at Central China Normal University (CCNU)

Dr. Abdilahi Ismail Abdilahi is now a lecturer at Beijing Foreign Studies University. He is also a member of the World Sinologist Council of Beijing Language and Culture University, an African Sinologist, and a member of the CCAS (Consortium for Country and Area Studies).

Dr. Abdilahi’s research interests include language studies, Sino-African Relations and the socio-economic development of the Horn of Africa region.

Abdiwahab is a Geo-economics Research fellow at the Institute for Strategic Insights & Research (ISIR)
writing extensively on economic policy issues related to the Horn of Africa and also providing an annual analysis of Somaliland’s national budgets since 2020. He also focuses on Somaliland economic issues and policies engaging with national and regional policymakers.

Abdiwahab holds a master’s degree in applied economics from Sodertorn University Stockholm

Ahmed is an associate fellow and contributes to ISIR Researches on Geopolitics and Public health trends. Ahmed particularly writes about Somaliland and Somalia relations, Red Sea rivalry, and cooperation.

He has an academic background of multiple disciplines ranging from BSc in Education, BSc in MLT, MSc in TRID from Adis Ababa University, and a second Masters in International Relation and Diplomacy from Hargeisa University.

Mr. Khadar A. Hanan is a visiting fellow at the Institute of Strategic initiatives and research (ISIR) and currently works at one of the leading Banks in Qatar. Mr. Khadar extensively researches and critically writes about the rapidly shifting geopolitical, social, and economic landscape pertaining to the Horn of Africa.

Abdirisak M. Saed is an associate Research fellow at the Institute for Strategic Insights and Research. His research interests focus on a wide range of topics including foreign policy, international maritime disputes, and counter-terrorism.

Mr. Abdirizak is the Associate Dean at the University of Hargeisa’s College of Law.

Mustafa Sharmarke is the Research Associate for Geo-economics, cultural preservations, and History at the Institute for Strategic Insights and Research. Mustafe extensively contributes and has passion in the areas of Social Justice and economics, Income inequality, and labor rights.
Mr. Sharmarke provides policy analysis and expert commentary on key economic issues the institute is handling and assists in writing publications. He also gives lectures at local universities. Mr. Sharmarke holds Masters in Economy and political science from Kyiv University Ukraine.

William N. Robinson is a visiting fellow at the Institute for Strategic Insights and Research(ISIR) in Hargeisa specialising in development, peace and security, international political economy, and governance. He earned an MA from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. His thesis, “Secession in the Horn of Africa: Ethnic Conflict, Federalism’s Paradox, and the Quest for International Recognition,” reflects his deep research interests.

These interests encompass governance in ethnically divided societies, and geoeconomics, particularly focusing on the Horn of Africa and the Middle East-North Africa regions.

Dr. Abdirahman Saeed Mohamed is currently affiliated with the University of Hargeisa’s School of Graduate Studies and is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Strategic Insights and Research (ISIR). He earned his undergraduate degree in Social Studies and Economics from the University of Khartoum and a Master’s degree in Demography from the University of Gezira, Sudan. He obtained his Ph.D. in Social Research Methodology from the Institute of Population Studies at Hacettepe University, Turkey. Abdirahman’s post-doctoral research primarily focuses on social research methodology, demography, and developmental studies.