Naoufel Gaied

Director, Academic Unit

Naoufel Gaied joined the IIJ team in October 2024 as the Director of the Academic Unit. As a member of the IIJ’s management team, he oversees the Institute’s academic work. His unit aims to strengthen the capacities of countries in counterterrorism, notably through the establishment of excellence modules to combat terrorism and transnational crime. Before joining the IIJ team, Naoufel Gaied led the Mission to Combat Violent Radicalization at the French Ministry of Justice. Having joined the Ministry of Justice in 2023, Naoufel developed 13 years of expertise in juvenile justice issues before engaging in counterterrorism efforts for 9 years within both the Ministries of Interior and Justice.

Languages

English

Anna Hulle 

Programme Assistant

Anna joined the IIJ in September 2024 as the Programme Assistant for the Academic Unit (AU). She is supporting the anglophone courses offered by the AU. Prior to joining the IIJ, Anna worked in the field of migration, asylum and resettlement for the EU in Malta and Turkey as well as for the German Federal Office for Migration in Germany. Before her work in the field of migration, Anna worked for the UNICEF Somalia office, the UNICEF Uruguay office, and different international NGOs in the field of donor relations and project management. She holds a BA in European Studies, conducted in The Netherlands and Mexico, as well as a MA in European Studies and International Relations studied in Istanbul, Berlin and Nice. She is enthusiastic about working in the field of human rights, justice, and capacity building initiatives.

Languages

English

Spanish

Italian

Rachel Simon Rushby

Resident Fellow

Rachel joined the IIJ as a Resident Fellow at the IIJ’s Academic Unit in 2024. She oversees
designing and delivering courses in counter terrorism and transnational crime. Qualified as a
solicitor in England and Wales, Rachel brings 15 years of experience specialising in domestic
practice and criminal defence, including extensive experience conducting serious and complex
cases. At the international level, Rachel spent five years working as a Senior Legal Officer for the
OSCE Mission in Kosovo working on issues including terrorism and transnational crime. She has
experience managing donor funded projects on organised crime and corruption and designing and
implementing capacity building activities for legal practitioners.


Rachel spent five years in Colombia where she worked on the protection of human rights defenders
and completed a postgraduate specialisation in human rights and international humanitarian law.
She has published several articles and reports on topics including the legitimacy of lethal force, the
Colombian peace process and defense representation in Kosovo.

Languages

English

Arabic

French

Ikram Mensi

Programme Manager

Ikram joined the IIJ in August 2023 as the Programme Manager for the Academic Unit. She is an experienced Programme Manager specialising in international programme management and operations. Prior to joining the IIJ, Ikram worked as Programme Manager for the UK Embassy, she oversaw the Counter-Terrorism capacity-building programme in Libya. Before her work with the UK Embassy, she worked for humanitarian organizations in North Africa, where she assessed complex humanitarian and migration crises.

Languages

English

Italian

Spanish

French

Luana Campagna

Programme Assistant

Luana joined the IIJ in April 2023 as a Programme Assistant within the Academic Unit. She has a background in Psychology and Communication and is currently completing a Higher Diploma in Management and Leadership. Luana has more than a decade of experience in Management across several sectors including Language education programs and international students’ relations.

Languages

English

French

Cheibou Samna Soumana

Resident Fellow

Samna joined the IIJ as a Resident Fellow in the Academic Unit at the end of 2020. He is responsible for designing and delivering state of the art courses to successfully counter terrorism and transnational crime. As a member of the judiciary in Niger for 20 years, including 15 years in the Public Prosecutor’s Office, he brings his extensive national and international field experience in the fight against organised crime and terrorism. After serving as a judge, he continued his career at the Public Prosecutor’s Office and oversaw organised crime and terrorism proceedings as of 2011. He joined the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Niamey before becoming its Chief Prosecutor. In this capacity, he led the Judicial Unit specialising in the fight against terrorism and transnational organised crime, as well as the Financial and Economic Unit. He served as the focal point for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the West African Network of Prosecutors and Central Authorities (WACAP), and served as an expert and consultant for the UNODC notably in the field of firearms. He also initiated Niger’s Counter-Terrorism Coordination Committee.

Samna has led numerous initiatives that have contributed to building the capacity of judicial practitioners in the fight against terrorism in the Lake Chad and Sahel regions. This included research and legislative efforts, training, meetings and exchanges conducted by the UNODC, United States, African and European judicial training institutes, and European projects. Samna is a Knight of the National Ordre du Mérite of Niger.

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