Ryan Boyette, 31, is from the United States. He graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in communications. Ryan has lived and worked with the people of Nuba in Southern Kordofan for the past nine years. He has assisted local communities with their agriculture, helped them build schools and churches, and has overseen other development projects in the region. In 2007 Ryan met Jazira, a health worker from Nuba. On February 19, 2011, they married and six thousand people attended their wedding.
On June 6, 2011, fighting broke out in the state and their new life together changed. All humanitarian organizations in the area, including Ryan’s, evacuated their workers. Ryan chose to stay behind with his wife. Ten days later, after witnessing the government’s repeated attacks on civilians, he created a network of citizen reporters in order to show the atrocities to the world.
Since that time Ryan has testified before United States Congress, met with United States National Security Staff, and been interviewed by broadcast and print journalists from around the world about the situation in Southern Kordofan.
