Adeeb Yousif, S-CAR Ph.D. Student

Adeeb Yousif hails from Darfur in Sudan, and for over 14 years, has worked with grass roots and social justice movements throughout the country in trying to alleviate the plight of individuals from what he describes as “unfortunate circumstances.” In April of 2001, he co-founded the Sudan Social Development Organization (SUDO), a human rights, humanitarian relief, and development NGO that he hoped would complement the efforts of the other stakeholders working in the region. As Adeeb indicated, “most of the other NGOs did not take their services deep inside rural areas to empower local communities to demand their rights from the government,” and this was one of the objectives of his organization.

In addition to this, he also helped to develop the Darfur Emergency Response Operation, which runs programs for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) as well as host communities in Darfur. He further helped to initiate the Rebel Letters Campaign and worked with Never Again International. All of his activities have made him unpopular with the Sudanese government but he reiterates, “I am unfazed in my goal to build the possibility for a sustainable peace in Darfur.”

Adeeb has also played a key role in making the plight of his people known to the outside world through on-the-ground facilitation of the work of many of the most high-profile researchers and writers, and through his own media work. Adeeb is currently working on his PhD at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution and is also the General Manager of the Darfur Reconciliation and Development Organization (DRDO). He asserts that both endeavors would enable him to “continue to dedicate his life to the humanitarian and human rights struggle to end the conflict and genocide in Darfur."