Albino Mathom Ayuel Aboug (born 19 December 1979) is a South Sudanese politician and diplomat. Aboug is a member of the

South Sudan National Legislative Assembly The Transitional National Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Transitional National Legislature of South Sudan. Composition 2011-2016 Following independence in 2011, the National Legislative Assembly comprises: *all persons who we ...

and represents South Sudan in the

Pan-African Parliament The Pan-African Parliament (PAP), also known as the African Parliament, is the legislative body of the African Union. It held its inaugural session in March 2004. The Parliament exercises oversight, and has advisory and consultative powers, ha ...

. Aboug had previously served in various diplomatic positions throughout Africa, most prominently as one of the peace negotiators during the Central African Republic Civil War. Aboug holds both South Sudanese and American nationality.

Early life and education

Aboug was born on 19 December 1979 in Twic State,

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

. In 1987, Aboug became a

child soldier Children (defined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child as people under the age of 18) have been recruited for participation in military operations and campaigns throughout history and in many cultures. Children in the military, includ ...

in the

Sudan People's Liberation Army The South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF), formerly the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), is the army of the South Sudan, Republic of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement against the government of Sudan in 198 ...

. As a result of the Second Sudanese Civil War, Aboug became displaced and sought asylum in Ethiopia. In 1991, Aboug returned to Sudan due to unrest in Ethiopia, settling in Khartoum, though later in the 1990s, he once again fled Sudan to avoid conscription, seeking refuge in Egypt. While in Egypt, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees relocated Aboug to the United States. Aboug attended South Dakota State University, where he studied global studies and political science. He then attended the University of Nairobi in Kenya, graduating with a bachelor's degree in history, communication, and political science.

Career

While in the United States, Aboug became associated with Robert McFarlane as a partner at US-Southern Sudan Development Company, a lobbying firm created by McFarlane. In 2013, at the urging of Goodluck Jonathan, the president of Nigeria, and Meles Zenawi, the prime minister of Ethiopia, Aboug returned to Africa, where he became the president of the Pan-African Youth Council and the Ambassador for Youth Affairs for the

. Later in 2013, Aboug became an advisor to Denis Sassou Nguesso, the president of the

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

, and served as a special envoy in the peace negotiations of the Central African Republic Civil War. Aboug left the role in 2015. In May 2021, Aboug was appointed to the

by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. He was also appointed to be one of South Sudan's five representatives in the

. In July 2021, he was appointed by the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit to be an ambassador and presidential special envoy for South Sudan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aboug, Albino 1979 births People from Warrap (state) Dinka people Living people Lost Boys of Sudan Sudan People's Liberation Movement politicians Members of the National Legislative Assembly (South Sudan) 21st-century South Sudanese politicians Members of the Pan-African Parliament from South Sudan South Sudanese diplomats People of the Central African Republic Civil War South Dakota State University alumni University of Nairobi alumni Refugees in the United States