Omer Ismail is a humanitarian and activist working to publicize conditions in Darfur

War in Darfur

The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...

. He was forced to flee Sudan

Sudan

Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

 in 1989 following after the National Islamic Front

National Islamic Front

The National Islamic Front is the Islamist political organization founded and led by Dr. Hassan al-Turabi that has influenced the Sudanese government since 1979, and dominated it since 1989...

 took power in 1989. He has subsequently worked for the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

, and was a Policy Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government in the Carr Centre for Human Rights Policy, Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

 in 2006/2007.

Omer was born in the Darfur

Darfur

Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...

 region of Sudan. After graduating from Khartoum University, he worked as research assistant to Dr. Mansour Khalid, former Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs. After fleeing Sudan, he worked for the United Nations in Somalia between 1992 and 1994. Returning to Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, he helped found the Sudan Democratic Forum, a think tank of Sudanese intellectuals working for the advancement of democracy in Sudan

Sudan

Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

, as well as co-founding the Darfur Peace and Development Organization

Darfur Peace and Development Organization

Darfur Peace and Development Organization is a small Darfurian-run nonprofit organization, based in the United States, that works toward reconciliation in the Darfur region of Sudan. DPDO is committed to promoting and restoring peace and sustainable development in Darfur, Western Sudan, in...

to raise awareness about the crisis in his troubled region.

External links

• Eyewitness Testimony - Omer Ismail, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
• "A political settlement for Darfur: A practical roadmap", by Omer Ismail, Colin Thomas-Jensen, Maggie Fick and John Prendergast. The Enough Project website