| Intro | South Sudanese politician |
| A.K.A. | Lam Akol Ajawin |
| Is |
Politician Diplomat |
| From | Sudan |
| Type | Politics |
| Gender | male |
| Birth |
15 July 1950 |
| Age | 70 years |
| Star sign | Cancer |
Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin is a South Sudanese politician of Shilluk descent. He is the current leader of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – Democratic Change (SPLM-DC), which he founded 6 June 2009. He is a former high-ranking official in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), and subsequently became the minister of foreign affairs for the Republic of Sudan 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. in chemical engineering from Imperial College London and taught at the University of Khartoum.
SPLA
Akol joined the SPLA in 1986 after having been a clandestine member since October 1983. In 1991 he joined Riek Machar and Gordon Kong to break from the SPLA and form the SPLA-Nasir. In 1993 the name of their faction was changed to SPLM-United. Dr Lam Akol was dismissed by Dr Riek 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. 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 Dr. 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.
In 2005 Dr. Akol wrote a piece detailing his role as a negotiator on behalf Garang in the initiation of Operation Lifeline Sudan.[1]
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 October 17 by President Omar al-Bashir and appointed Deng Alor, 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.