Ismail Abukar
Founder and editor of The Field. Independent investigative journalist.
Ismail Abukar is an independent investigative journalist. Over seven years of primary field research inside Somalia's prisons and military courts, including about 500 interviews with convicted Al-Shabaab operatives and a review of 400 military court cases, he has reported on Al-Shabaab, arbitrary detention and political accountability. His investigations have been published by Lawfare, African Arguments, Horn Observer and Pambazuka News, and his research has been cited by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the U.S. State Department. He holds an MA in International Law and Human Rights from UPEACE (2021). He founded The Field to give reporters who were there a place to publish.
Reports by Ismail
Kiir Dissolves South Sudan's Government as Nation Faces Hunger Crisis, Murder and Treason Trial, and Questions Over December Vote
Salva Kiir ended the power-sharing deal three months before the country's first national election. 7.8 million people face acute hunger, and Riek Machar's trial has been repeatedly adjourned.
The Court Voided Galmudug's Election. The Rerun Kept the Same Referee, the Same Voter List, and Left Out the Party That Sued.
Somalia's Supreme Court threw out Galmudug's July 30 vote. On September 30 the state voted again, run by the same commission, from the same register, without the party that won the case.
Hirshabelle Watched Galmudug's Election Get Thrown Out, Then Voted With Its President on the Ruling Party's Ticket
Two presidents who crossed Villa Somalia are out of the contest. The one who cooperated is the ruling party's candidate. Galmudug's court case is a checklist, and Hirshabelle's record against it is mixed.
