Omer Ismail

Omer Ismail, born in El Fashir, Western Sudan. After graduating from Khartoum University, he worked as research assistant to Dr. Mansour Khalid, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs in Sudan. His work with international relief and development organizations continued until 1988 when he became the Operations Manager for the United Nations Operation Life Line Sudan, the largest relief operation in the world at the time. He fled Sudan after the NIF (National Islamic Front) took power in 1989 and since lived as a refugee in the US. He returned to the United Nations to serve in Somalia between 1992-1994.

In Washington, he helped found the Sudan Democratic Forum, a think tank of Sudanese intellectuals working for advancement of democracy in Sudan. He is the spokesperson for The Darfur Union an advocacy group and the co-founder of Darfur Peace and Development.

Mr. Ismail is currently a Fellow at Harvard University's Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.