Photo Credit|Courtesy

South Sudanese-American community leader Nyamal Dei has secured the Democratic Party nomination for North Dakota Senate District 41 in the United States.

Dei announced the development on her official Facebook page, saying she had officially won the nomination and was preparing for the next phase of her campaign ahead of the general election.

“It’s official: I have secured the Democratic nomination for North Dakota Senate District 41. There is still a lot of work to be done, and I hope I can count on your support,” she said.

She also thanked the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party for its support and called on her supporters to continue standing with her as she advances to the general election.

If elected, Dei would become one of the few South Sudanese-born politicians to serve in a United States state legislature.

Originally from Ulang County in Upper Nile State, Nyamal Dei fled South Sudan during the civil war and lived as a refugee in Ethiopia before relocating to the Ifo refugee camp in northwestern Kenya. She later resettled in the United States, where she pursued higher education and became active in community leadership.

She is the founder of Kondial Kel International: South Sudan READ, a Fargo-based organisation focused on promoting education and community development through literacy programmes.

Nyamal holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health from North Dakota State University and a Master of Public Health degree from Benedictine University.

She has served as deputy humanitarian secretary for the Alliance for South Sudanese in the Diaspora and has been involved in initiatives promoting peace, leadership, and the fight against hate speech.

In 2022, she made history by becoming the first Black woman elected to the Fargo School Board since the city’s founding in 1872.

Nyamal has received several awards for her humanitarian work and leadership, and continues to advocate for education, women’s empowerment, maternal health, and support for vulnerable families in South Sudan and the diaspora.