Dr. Omar Abdulle Alasow is a distinguished scholar and practitioner in International Humanitarian Law (IHL) – the body of international rules governing armed conflict–, International Human Rights Law (IHRL), and International Criminal Law, with over 25 years of professional experience dedicated to the promotion and protection of human rights.
From July 2022 to November 2025, He served as Head, Protection, Human Rights and Gender (PHRG) Division, African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and the Principal Advisor to the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission to Somalia (SRCC) and Head of AUSSOM on International Humanitarian Law (IHL), International Human Rights Law (IHRL) and Protection of Civilians, where he provided strategic policy guidance and high-level advisory support to AU leadership on ensuring IHL and IHRL the compliance and accountability, whilst supporting Somali Security National Security Forces on IHL and human rights capacity building. He also oversaw the Civilian Casualty Tracking, Analysis and Response Cell (CCTARC), tasked with monitoring, documenting, and investigating incidents of civilian harm arising from AUSSOM military operations.
From June 2011 to June 2022, Dr. Alasow served as UNSOS, formerly known as the United Nations Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA) senior Expert Adviser on IHL in Somalia seconded to AMISOM, ATMIS, and AUSSOM. In this capacity, he provided high-level expert advice to the SRCC, the Force Commander, and other senior officials on all matters relating to IHL and human rights applicable in Somalia, the protection of civilians, and the implementation of the United Nations HRDDP. He also played a pivotal role, from the outset, in the development and operationalisation of key policies, directives, and accountability frameworks aimed at strengthening adherence to IHL and IHRL.
He designed protection-of-civilians mechanisms to minimize civilian harm during operations and successfully led multiple high-level fact-finding missions and Boards of Inquiry (BOIs). Working closely with local partners and civil society organizations, he investigated serious violations of IHL and IHRL, including incidents amounting to war crimes, in challenging operational environments at Forward Operating Bases such as Marka, Ceelbuur, Wardiinle, Qoryooley, Suuqa Hoolaha, and Golweyn. Several of these investigations resulted in the prosecution of AU mission personnel before courts martial in Mogadishu, the repatriation of personnel for criminal prosecution and disciplinary action by Troop-Contributing Countries (TCCs), as well as public acknowledgements of responsibility by AU mission leadership in Somalia.
In February 2014, Dr. Omar Alasow co-founded the Joint Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (HRDDP) Working Group, at principal level, bringing together the United Nations and African Union leadership in Somalia to enhance coordination, compliance with IHL and IHRL obligations and the implementation of the United Nations Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (HRDDP). He also acted as the focal person on HRDDP implementation in AMISOM, ATMIS and AUSSOM.
He contributed significantly to the establishment and operationalization of the AMISOM Civilian Casualty Tracking, Analysis, and Response Cell (CCTARC) in 2015 as part of broader efforts to reduce and address civilian harm arising from AMISOM operations. Additionally, Dr. Omar Alasow managed, developed, and delivered AU–UN mandatory pre-deployment and in-mission training on IHL and human rights for AMISOM military and police troop- and police-contributing countries (T/PCCs). In collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), UN and ACCORD, he further developed and delivered capacity-building training programs in IHL and human rights for the Somali Security Forces (SSF), including training of trainers (TOT) programs for the Somali National Army.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Alasow served as an Independent Consultant to the United Nations, supporting the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia in drafting its national Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report in 2011. As the lead expert consultant, he provided technical assistance throughout the process and oversaw the production of Somalia’s first-ever UPR submission. Dr. Alasow successfully steered the UPR process in an extremely challenging, war-torn context, enabling Somalia’s re-engagement with UN human rights mechanisms and facilitating its first submission to an international treaty body since 1984, a landmark contribution to the country’s engagement with international human rights mechanisms. He has since continued to support Somalia in fulfilling its UPR obligations and meeting its treaty body reporting requirements.
His work was formally recognized and commended by the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Government of Somalia. He has also lectured extensively at universities and provided legal consultancy in the United Kingdom on matters relating to international humanitarian law (IHL), refugee law, and human rights law.
Between 2005 and 2010, Dr. Alasow served as an Independent Legal Consultant for various law firms in the United Kingdom, conducting in-depth legal research on human rights and IHL. He advised asylum seekers fleeing persecution and armed conflict on refugee status determination under the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. He was also a registered Public Service Interpreter in the United Kingdom and worked as a freelance Panel Interpreter for the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the Home Office, the Asylum and Immigration Tribunals, and the Metropolitan Police Service, as well as an Examiner for the Institute of Linguists.
From 2000 to 2004, Dr. Alasow worked with Hackman Solicitors as a Legal Researcher, conducting country-of-origin information research to support asylum claims.
Dr. Alasow holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law from the University of Essex (UK), a Master of International Law (M.I.L.) from Lund University (Sweden), a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Comparative International Criminal Law and Criminal Justice from the University of Helsinki (Finland), as well as a Diploma in Law.
He is the author of the monograph Violations of the Rules Applicable in Non-International Armed Conflicts and Their Possible Causes: The Case of Somalia (Martinus Nijhoff, 2010), widely used as an authoritative text on IHL and human rights in academic institutions. He has published several peer-reviewed articles on IHL, IHRL, and international criminal law. He has also delivered lectures at peace support training institutions, military academies, and universities across Africa and Europe.
Dr. Alasow is now a fully selected and sworn-in member of the National Independent Human Rights Commission of Somalia and is a candidate for the chair of the Commission.
