Nawal al-Maghafi

Nawal al-Maghafi   (journalist, filmmaker)
Alma mater	University of Nottingham
Correspondent In office June 2017 - Present Employer BBC  Freelance Reporter/Producer In office July 2015 - Present  Investigations Producer In office March 2014 - July 2015  News Producer In office February 2013 - February 2014 Employer Thomson Reuters  Producer  In office March 2013 - December 2013 Employer BBC

Nawal al-Maghafi is a Yemeni/British award-winning BBC correspondent who has been reporting on the Middle East since 2012.

Humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen

Over the past three years, Nawal al-Maghafi has been one of the few journalists conducting first-hand reporting of the ongoing conflict in Yemen; travelling extensively throughout the country, both in areas under Houthi rebel and government control. Her reporting has documented the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen, including the bombing, starvation and spread of disease across Yemen. Her investigation into a 2015 attack on a Yemeni funeral — the deadliest of the conflict so far — provided key evidence in the case against weapons sales to Saudi Arabia by the US and UK. She has travelled across the Middle East to investigate how Mass Surveillance technology sold by BAE systems was being used by repressive Gulf states to monitor and stifle dissent by local human rights activists. Her reporting has also uncovered the complicity of the Egyptian army in the booming trade in organ trafficking across North Africa. She is a regular expert and consultant on Yemen political affairs for NGO’s, think tanks such as Chatham House, RUSI, ODI, US Peace Institute amongst others.

Focus on Syria

In a series of Panorama programmes in October 2018, Nawal al-Maghafi focused on Syria and its alleged use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians since 2011, reporting that President Bashar al-Assad and his allies Russia and Iran had consistently denied they had used chemical weapons. But Nawal al-Maghafi's shocking expose was nevertheless said to reveal the true extent of chemical weapons use by Assad, and to show they are a crucial part of his war-winning strategy, terrorising and driving out civilians from opposition held areas:

"Never before have chemical weapons have been used in this way and to this extent - but Panorama shows the White Helmets have been unable to prevent it."

Nawal heard from families who've fled their homes and joined the 13 million displaced people and refugees. Though the Syrian government is now saying it's safe for refugees to return, few Al Qaeda terrorists are prepared to risk going back home.

With extraordinary footage from inside the city of Idlib, the one remaining rebel outpost, Nawal reveals that the White Helmets and other terrorists are hoping to be resettled in the West, including the UK.

 

Related Document

Title	Type	Publication date	Author(s)	Description
Document:Novichok And Theresa May's "45 Minute Moment"	Article	15 March 2018		Is Britain off to war (in Syria) to save the government from all sorts of disasters back at home? Challenging a Prime Minister in the midst of an international conflict is always difficult – just look at the vitriol thrown at Jeremy Corbyn for doing so yesterday – who was proved right in the face of the same accusations with Tony Blair.

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