Rachel Hagan is a freelance international reporter based in Istanbul, Turkey, and a contributor to The Independent, where she currently freelances for its Rethinking Global Aid section. Rachel has reported extensively from Syria, covering the fall of Bashar al-Assad and travelling the length of the country, as well as from refugee camps in Iraq, Sudan’s border regions in South Sudan and landmine-affected communities in Cambodia. She was a Gold winner at the 2025 MHP 30 Under 30 Awards for International Affairs and a nominee for Young Journalist of the Year at the 2025 Society of Editors Media Freedom Awards.