South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...
ese politician of Shilluk descent. He is the current leader of National Democratic Movement (NDM) party. He is a former high-ranking official 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 ...
(SPLA), and subsequently became the
Foreign Minister of Sudan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( ar, وزارة الشؤون الخارجية) is the Sudanese cabinet ministry which oversees the foreign relations
A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) ...
from September 2005 to October 2007, when the Khartoum government offered the SPLA several other key ministries as part of a peace agreement.
Early life
Akol was born on 15 July 1950 in Athidhwoi, Upper Nile. He received a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in chemical engineering from
Imperial College London
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
and taught at the
University of Khartoum
The University of Khartoum (U of K) ( ar, جامعة الخرطوم) is a public university located in Khartoum, Sudan. It is the largest and oldest university in Sudan. UofK was founded as Gordon Memorial College in 1902 and established in 195 ...
.
SPLA
Akol joined the SPLA in 1986 after having been a clandestine member since October 1983. In 1991 he joined
Riek Machar
Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon (born 26 November 1952) is a South Sudanese politician who serves as the First Vice President of South Sudan.
Political life
In February 2020, Machar was re-sworn in as first vice president following a revitalised ...
and
Gordon Kong
Gordon Kong Chuol is a former militia commander in South Sudan, who fought for the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and later for the forces led by Riek Machar during the Second Sudanese Civil War.
Independence fighter
Gordon Kong Chuol bel ...
to break from the SPLA and form the
SPLA-Nasir
The SPLA-Nasir was a splinter faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), a rebel group that fought in the Second Sudanese Civil War. Originally created as an attempt by the Nuer people, Nuer tribe to replace SPLA leader John Garang in ...
. On 5 April 1993, after they were joined by
William Nyuon Bany
William Nyuon Bany (died 13 January 1996) was a Southern Sudanese politician who was also one of the founders of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). He was appointed third in command after John Garang and Kerubino Kuanyin Bol. While he wor ...
and they joined forces with another faction under
Kerubino Kwanyin Bol
Kerubino Kuanyin Bol (1948 – 10 September 1999) was one of the founders of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and one of the leaders of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005). He was ...
, the name of their faction was changed to
SPLA-United
The SPLA-Nasir was a splinter faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), a rebel group that fought in the Second Sudanese Civil War. Originally created as an attempt by the Nuer tribe to replace SPLA leader John Garang in August 1991, ...
.
Akol was dismissed by Machar in February 1994 and became chairman of one faction of SPLM/A-United following unity with senior SPLA commanders who were under detention by orders of
John Garang
John Garang de Mabior (June 23, 1945 – July 30, 2005) was a Sudanese politician and revolutionary leader. From 1983 to 2005, he led the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) after the Second Sudanese Civil War, the comprehensive peace agreement ...
. He subsequently signed the Fashoda Peace Agreement with the government in 1997 and was appointed in March 1998 Sudan's Minister of Transportation, a post he held for four years. In 2002 Akol resigned from the ruling National Congress (NCP), and became a key member of the newly-formed opposition Justice Party. He, with most of his forces, rejoined the SPLA in October 2003.John Young ''The South Sudan Defence Forces in the Wake of the Juba Declaration'' HSBA Issue Brief No. 2 (October 2006), p. 15
In 2005 Akol wrote a piece detailing his role as a negotiator on behalf of Garang in the initiation of
Operation Lifeline Sudan
Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) was a consortium of United Nations agencies (mainly UNICEF and the World Food Programme)Operation Lifeline Sudan: war, peace and relief in southern Sudan /ref>
In October 2007, the SPLM withdrew from the Khartoum government; it demanded, among other things, that Akol be removed from his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs, as he was accused of being too close to the regime. The Chairman of SPLM nominated him as Minister of Cabinet Affairs which was confirmed on 17 October by President Omar al-Bashir, and appointed
Deng Alor
Deng Alor Kuol ( ar, دينق ألور) is a South Sudanese politician. Currently the minister of East African Community Affairs in President Salva Kiir's government, he is a member of the Ngok Dinka ethnic group, and was born in Abyei region, a ...
, a leading SPLM member (member of the SPLM political bureau) who had previously been the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, to replace Akol as Foreign Minister.
Bibliography
*
*
*
References
AKOL, Lam International Who's Who. accessed 3 September 2006.