Preceded by Position established | Name Pagan Amum Role Political figure | |
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Pagan amum on peace process and relationship with splm io
Pa'gan Amum Okiech (born 3 January 1959) is a South Sudanese politician. He is the co-founder of South Sudan Reborn and is its primary spokesperson.
Contents
- Pagan amum on peace process and relationship with splm io
- Pagan amum is back as splm secretary general
- Early life
- Sudanese civil wars
- South Sudanese politics
- References
Pagan amum is back as splm secretary general
Early life
Pa'gan Amum Okiech was born in a small post known as Wat in the Lou Nuer area. His father was a non-commissioned police officer responsible for the Wat post. His family moved to Malakal after his grandfather, Okiech, chief of the Ubuar people, died and Pa'gan Amum's father was asked to take over the role. His father went from being a clan chief to later being paramount chief and president of the court.
Sudanese civil wars
In 1982, Pa'gan Amum left law school in Khatoum to organize and command a group of young revolutionaries committed to the establishment of a new country in southern Sudan. This group joined with other insurgent groups to form the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) under the leadership of Pa'gan Amum's mentor Dr John Garang de Maboir.
In 2005, Pa'gan Amum was part of Dr. Garang's team that negotiated the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA), which brought to an end the Sudanese Civil War and led to an historic, internationally supervised referendum in 2011.
South Sudanese politics
After the referendum, Pa'gan Amum continued his service as Secretary General of the SPLM. He was elected by the National Liberation Council.
He was also South Sudan's Chief Negotiator with Sudan on post independence issues. He served as the Minister for Peace and CPA Implementation in the Government of Southern Sudan, prior to independence in 2011 and as the caretaker Minister of Peace in the first government post independence, taking office on 23 July 2011.
In 2013, the South Sudan descended into civil war and on 23 July that year, Pa'gan Amum was put under house arrest by SPLM and suspended from all official duties. A trial against Pa'gan Amum and three other SPLM leaders (the 'detainees') accused of treason began the following year in March 2014 but was overturned by April.
During this period, Pa'gan Amum claims he avoided several assassination attempts.
In June 2015, the detainees were returned to Juba from exile in Kenya and were reintegrated into the ruling party. Pa'gan Amum was reinstated as secretary general.
Pa'gan Amum signed the 2015 peace agreement in Addis Ababa between the current government and the opposition.
Claiming continuous threats to his security, Pa'gan Amum is currently in exile in the United States.