Lam Akol

Dr. Lam Akol, born 15 July 1950 in Athidhwoi, Upper Nile, is a South Sudanese politician of Shuluk descent. He is the current leader of SPLM for Democratic Change (SPLM-DC), which he founded 6 June 2009. He is a former high-ranking official in theSudan 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. Dr. Akol started his career as a lecturer in chemical engineering at the University of Khartoum, with a PhD from the University of London.