Abdo Shanan was born in 1982 in Oran, Algeria to a Sudanese father and an Algerian
mother. Abdo studied Telecommunications Engineering at the University of Sirte, Libya until 2006.

In 2012, he undertook an internship at Magnum Photos Paris, which gave him the opportunity to reflect on his photographic approach and make his first story for the magazine 'Rukh'. His photographs have been published by a number of printed and online magazines as well as by newspapers. In 2015, he received a nomination for Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund and in 2016 his series 'Diary:Exile' was selected by the Addis Fotofest. Abdo in 2019 won The CAP Prize (Contemporary African Photography) for his ongoing project “Dry”, in the same year he was selected
for Joop Swart Masterclass by World Press Photo.